v

Combating Terrorism Center at West Point

Objective • Relevant • Rigorous | October 2016 • Volume 9, Issue 10

FEATURE ARTICLE A VIEW FROM THE CT FOXHOLE

The Islamic State LTG(R) Charles

after Mosul Cleveland
Former Commanding General,
How the Islamic State could regenerate in Diyala U.S. Army Special Operations
Michael Knights and Alex Mello Command
FEATURE ARTICLE

1 Losing Mosul, Regenerating in Diyala: How the Islamic State Could Exploit Editor in Chief
Iraq’s Sectarian Tinderbox Paul Cruickshank
Michael Knights and Alex Mello
Managing Editor
Kristina Hummel
INTERVIEW

8 A View from the CT Foxhole: LTG(R) Charles T. Cleveland, former

EDITORIAL BOARD
Commanding General, U.S. Army Special Operations Command
Kristina Hummel Colonel Suzanne Nielsen, Ph.D.
Department Head

FEATURE COMMENTARY Dept. of Social Sciences (West Point)

12 Lessons from the Fifteen-Year Counterterrorism Campaign Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Price, Ph.D.
Andrew Liepman and Philip Mudd Director, CTC

Brian Dodwell
ANALYSIS
Deputy Director, CTC
16 Unseating the Caliphate: Contrasting the Challenges of Liberating Fallujah
and Mosul CONTACT
Zana Gulmohamad
Combating Terrorism Center
28 Revising the History of al-Qa`ida’s Original Meeting with Abu Musab al- U.S. Military Academy
Zarqawi
607 Cullum Road, Lincoln Hall
Brian Fishman
West Point, NY 10996
Phone: (845) 938-8495
Email: sentinel@usma.edu
Web: www.ctc.usma.edu/sentinel/
With a constellation of Iraqi forces making slow but sustained progress
toward the outskirts of Mosul, Zana Gulmohamad compares the chal-
lenges in liberating and securing the city with those faced by Iraqi forces SUBSMISSIONS
in Fallujah earlier this year, based on interviews with key Iraqi players. Liberating Mosul, he ar- The CTC Sentinel welcomes submissions.
gues, will be much more difficult because of the Islamic State’s determination to hold onto the seat
Please contact us at sentinel@usma.edu.
of its “caliphate,” but harder still will be securing and rebuilding the city because of the conflicting
agendas of the forces arrayed around Mosul.
If and when the Islamic State is dislodged from Mosul, it is likely to pivot back toward guerrilla The views expressed in this report are
warfare and terrorism. In our cover story, Michael Knights and Alex Mello argue there is a danger those of the authors and not of the U.S.
that the group could regenerate in the sectarian tinderbox of Diyala province, by escalating attacks
Military Academy, the Department of the
against Shi`a in the region so as to provoke the region’s powerful Shi`a militias to retaliate against
Army, or any other agency of the U.S.
Sunnis, and plunge Iraq back into civil war. A decade ago, this strategy revitalized the Islamic State
of Iraq after it was dislodged from Anbar province during the “surge.” Government.
In our interview, Lieutenant General (Ret.) Charles Cleveland, former commanding general
of U.S. Army Special Operations Command and now a senior fellow at the Combating Terrorism Cover: Pro-government forces drive in
Center, focuses on the challenges ahead in special warfare.
military vehicles in Iraq’s eastern Salaheddin
In our feature commentary, two veteran U.S. intelligence officials—Andrew Liepman and Phil-
ip Mudd—reflect on the lessons learned from the 15-year counterterrorism campaign. province, south of Hawijah, on October 10,
Brian Fishman revises the origin story of the Islamic State based on declassified documents 2016, as they clear the area in preparation
that shed new light on why al-Qa`ida supported Abu Musab al-Zarqawi before 9/11. for the push to retake Mosul from the Islamic
Paul Cruickshank, Editor in Chief State. (MAHMOUD AL-SAMARRAI/AFP/
Getty Images)

Losing Mosul, Regenerating in Diyala: How
the Islamic State Could Exploit Iraq’s
Sectarian Tinderbox
By Michael Knights and Alex Mello
The Islamic State may be driven out of Mosul in the
coming months, which would effectively destroy the
group’s pretensions of  administering a caliphate  in
Iraq. But the Islamic State has vowed to fight on, and if
the past is  prologue, the group may eye an opportunity
to regenerate in Diyala province, Iraq’s sectarian
tinderbox. By escalating terrorist attacks against Shi`a
targets there, the group could create a spiral of sectarian
violence that it could exploit to make a comeback. The
strategy almost worked a decade ago. After the U.S.
surge cleared Islamic State of Iraq fighters from Anbar
province, the group made significant gains in Diyala by
carrying out a terrorist campaign against Shi`a targets
designed to plunge the country deeper into civil war.  operations to clear the city of ISI fighters.b
M
osul may be liberated from the Islamic State in
the coming months, presenting Islamic State
militants in Iraq with a new set of challeng-
es, opportunities, and decisions. For insur-
gency-watchers pondering Iraq’s near-future,
there may be value in focusing on Diyala province, named after
the river by the same name that runs from eastern Baghdad to the
Iranian border. Diyala is not unlike a time machine, offering a kind
of glimpse into the future, even as the Islamic State had already
transitioned back to an insurgency in the province by the start of
2016. Diyala also offers an intriguing window into the other war in
Iraq against the Islamic State—the one being fought primarily by
Iranian-backed Shi`a militias with practically no involvement of
the U.S.-led Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Re-
solve (CJTF-OIR). The war in Diyala gives insight into what future
counterinsurgency operations of the Iraqi state might look like in
cross-sectarian, multi-ethnic areas if CJTF-OIR support is discon-
tinued and Shi`a militias take the lead.
Michael Knights, a Lafer Fellow with The Washington Institute
for Near East Policy, has worked in all of Iraq’s provinces, includ-
ing periods spent embedded with Iraqi security forces. His latest
study is the Washington Institute report “The Long Haul: Reboot-
ing U.S. Security Cooperation in Iraq.” Follow @mikeknightsiraq
Alex Mello is lead Iraq security analyst at Horizon Client Access,
an advisory service working with global energy companies. Follow
@AlexMello02
O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 1
Diyala’s Role as a Base for the Insurgency
Since 2003, Diyala province1 has served as a fallback location for
the takfiria predecessors of the Islamic State—the Islamic State of
Iraq (ISI) and before that al-Qa`ida in Iraq (AQI). As Diyala-based
coalition interrogator Richard Buchanan noted in 2014, “The re-
covery and refit area for the Sunni insurgents was always Diyala
province. The insurgents who were married moved their families
there, and their wounded would be often moved there as well.”2
When the U.S. surge cleared Anbar in 2007, ISI fell back into Diyala
and very nearly took over the entire province. In the second quarter
of 2007, an average of 418 attacks hit Diyala each month, mostly
against Shi`a targets, and the government lost its ability to expend
more than two percent of its budget or to distribute salaries or food
rations.3 In Baqubah, the provincial capital, ISI controlled the city
center, and the U.S. military was forced to lead major urban combat
The attractiveness of Diyala to Sunni militant groups is partly
geographic. Diyala is a hub, connecting many militant operating
areas; Tarmiyah and other takfiri bases in southern Salah al-Din
province lie to the west. The desolate Jallam Desert and Hamrin
Mountain range lie to the north, providing access to northern Iraqi
provinces and ultimately Syria. The violent, ethno-sectarian melt-
ing pots of Tuz Khurmatu and Kirkuk are to the north, linked to
Baghdad by Highway 2, which runs through northern Diyala. In
the south, Diyala wraps around the eastern Baghdad metropolitan
area, including the key takfiri target of Sadr City, a largely Shi`a
metropolis of two million people. Running down the Diyala River
Valley (DRV) is the pilgrim route of Highway 5, which brings Shi`a
visitors from Iran to Iraq and back throughout the year.
The terrain of Diyala also makes the province an ideal location
for insurgents seeking to shelter from security forces. In most rural
areas of Diyala, it is impossible to drive for more than two kilo-
meters without meeting a canal or irrigation ditch, complicating
counterinsurgency raids. The 90-kilometer Diyala River delta is
lined with dense palm groves that extend for one to three kilo-
meters on either side of the river, making this one of the largest
rough-terrain corridors in Iraq, twice as big as the hard-to-secure
palm groves between Ramadi and Fallujah. The river is sparsely
bridged, presenting a serious obstacle to motorized security forces,
but is easily traversed by small boat at dozens of points, making
monitoring and interdiction difficult for security forces.4 For these
a Use of the term takfiri in this article refers to Sunni insurgent groups that
justify violence against some Muslims and all non-Muslims because their
religious beliefs are not compatible with their groups’ ideology. Key takfiri
groups in Iraq include the Islamic State, Islamic Army of Iraq, and Ansar
al-Sunna/Ansar al-Islam.
b Operation Arrowhead Ripper, launched on June 18, 2007, was the
culminating point. See Kimberly Kagan, “The Battle for Diyala,” Iraq Report
IV, Weekly Standard, May 7, 2007.
2 CTC SENTINEL O C T O B E R 2 01 6
Diyala province, Iraq (Rowan Technology)
reasons, the Islamic State and its predecessors have repeatedly built
bases for fighters and their families north of the river in the remote
groves of Diyala, a completely different concept from their nesting
within pre-existing, semi-urban Sunni areas in Iraq.5 Rural Diyala
is currently a true terrorist safe haven.
Equally important, the human terrain of Diyala is attractive to
takfiri militant groups. Around a 60-percent majority of Diyala res-
idents are Sunni Arabs and Sunni Turkmen, with the remainder
split between Shi`a Arabs and Shi`a Turkmen (25 percent) and
Kurds (15 percent).6 Sunni Arab majorities live in the provincial
capital of Baqubah (population 627,000 in 2007) and the DRV
farming districts of Muqdadiyah (population 248,000 in 2007).7
There are Shi`a majorities in Khalis (population 319,000 in 2007)
and Balad Ruz (population 135,000 in 2007) districts (plus Abu
Sayda subdistrict in Muqdadiyah). Iranian-backed Shi`a parties
like Badr—formed by Iran during the Iran-Iraq War from Iraqi
Shi`a prisoners of war and oppositionists—have worked hard since
2003 to wield disproportionate influence over the Sunni majority,8
cooperating with Kurdish allies to dominate the provincial council,
KNIGHTS / MELLO
governorship, and police force for all but six of the last 13 years.c
Sunnis also fear that the demographic balance may be shifting
slowly against them through displacement by unstable conditions,
Shi`a militia harassment, and drought.d In 2013, Diyala’s main
Sunni bloc ran its provincial election campaigns on the theme of
an “existential” threat detailed in a Shi`a militia campaign to “ex-
terminate the people of Diyala.”9 Meanwhile, the Kurds claim the
right to evict Sunni settlers brought by Saddam Hussein’s regime
c A good example is Diyala police chief Ghanem al-Qurayshi, a Badr-affiliated
former military officer who worked from 2005-2008 to reduce Sunni
involvement in local security forces. See Dahr Jamail, “‘Provincial Saddam’
Goes, Finally,” Inter Press Service, August 14, 2008. At the district level,
the situation was no better. The Muqdadiyah police chief, another Badrist,
ran an extensive car stealing and arrest extortion racket that principally
targeted local Sunnis. See Joel Wing, “How Iraq’s Civil War Broke Out In
Diyala Province: Interview With Former Interrogator Richard Buchanan,”
Musings on Iraq, July 28, 2014.
d It should be noted that Shi`a have an equally justified fear that Sunni
militants are trying to cleanse them from the province.

into northern Diyala areas like Jalula, Saadiyah, Qara Tapa, and
Mandali.10 These identity issues have worked to sustain recruitment
by Sunni insurgent groups like AQI/ISI, the Islamic Army of Iraq
(IAI), 1920s Revolution Brigades, Hamas al-Iraq, Ansar al-Sunna,
and the neo-Ba’athist Jaysh Rijal al-Tariqa al-Naqshbandia (JRTN)
and Al-Awda (Return) groups.11 e
Nonidentity-based human terrain factors have also favored mil-
itant groups in Diyala. The eastern parts of the province, such as
Muqdadiyah and Balad Ruz districts, are exceedingly poor, with 51
percent and 48 percent of households falling into the lowest wealth
quintile in Iraq (compared to a national average of 21.7 percent).12
The Sunni tribes, regularly brought in since the 1970s to service
the government’s newly irrigated farmlands, are smaller and more
fragmented than in Anbar, rural Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, or Nineveh.
Most rural families are highly dependent on irrigation systems and
the generators that power them, a factor that insurgents have fre-
quently exploited.13 The harvesting cycles in Diyala have also made
it very easy for strangers to come and go without notice, blending
into the inflow and outflow of seasonal agricultural workers.f All
these socio-economic conditions have made it relatively easy for
insurgents to control Diyala’s rural populations.
Why Didn’t the Islamic State Capture Diyala?
With all these circumstantial factors in the Islamic State’s favor, it
might be intuitive to ask why the movement failed to overrun the
security forces in Diyala completely in 2014. The provincial capitals
of other Sunni Arab-majority provinces—Mosul, Ramadi, Tikrit—
were all captured by the group and held for sustained periods,
but not Baqubah. Likewise the Iraqi Army divisions in Nineveh,
Kirkuk, and Salah al-Din collapsed entirely but not the 5th Iraqi
Army division in Diyala. What accounts for the difference, and how
does the explanation impact the Islamic State’s future in Diyala?
One cluster of factors relate to the Islamic State’s low starting
base of operations in Diyala when Mosul fell in June 2014. In com-
parison to Nineveh, where there was an average of 347 security
incidents per month in the first five months of 2014, there were
only 71 per month in Diyala.14 In the week before Mosul fell, there
were a staggering 208 attacks versus 32 in Diyala.15 As RAND’s ex-
tensive study of captured ISI documents noted, Diyala was only
periodically a priority for AQI/ISI: it generated no funds and was,
in fact, a net drain on the budget.16 The province is far from Syria,
from where the Islamic State staged and supported its attack on
Mosul.17 Moreover, the Islamic State did not have a good level of
control over its most dangerous adversaries in the province—other
insurgent groups. There are solid indications that the Islamic State
was still actively fighting Ansar al-Sunna and JRTN elements in the
summer of 2014,18 even as these groups maintained uneasy truces
with the Islamic State or were defecting to the Islamic State in other
provinces.
e The author received a detailed map-aided briefing on concentration
levels in the insurgent areas of control. AQI/ISI dominated in western and
northern Baqubah, the Hamrin area, Iranian border areas, and the groves of
the DRV. Ansar al-Sunna had strongholds near Balad Ruz. The other former
regime and Iraqi takfiri groups were mainly located in eastern Baqubah
(where there were Republican Guard communities) and in Muqdadiyah and
Hamrin.
f The province is the center of citrus and date farming in Iraq and is a major
producer of cereals.
O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 3
But a more important factor was the level of resistance the Is-
lamic State faced from Shi`a paramilitaries and the Kurdish pesh-
merga. This tough resistance was lacking in nearby rural Kirkuk,
where five Arab-populated districts fell to very small Islamic State
patrols because the 12th Iraqi Army division had disbanded without
a fight. In Diyala, the resisting power of the 5th Iraqi Army division
was bolstered by the strong cadre of Badr commanders in the force
and by the existing presence of major Shi`a militia forces in the
province such as Badr, Asaib Ahl al-Haq (League of the Righteous,
AAH), Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH), Moqtada al-Sadr’s Saraya al-Salam
(Peace Companies), and Sayyid al-Shuhada.19 From June 13, 2014,
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki appointed Badr leader Hadi al-
Ameri as the provincial security chief in Diyala. Reinforcements
from Badr and special forces units of the army and Ministry of In-
terior quickly reached al-Ameri at his base in Camp Ashraf, north
of Baqubah.20 Iran also provided direct military support to the Iraqi
and Kurdish security forces in Diyala, extending a security zone 50
kilometers into Iraqi territory and flying dozens of Iranian Air Force
F-4E Phantom and Su-25 close-air support missions in support of
the Hashd al-Sha’abi (Popular Mobilization Forces, PMF).21 These
forces successfully limited the expansion of Islamic State control
in Diyala.
The Islamic State briefly threatened the western side of the
capital Baqubah—the newer and poorer residential areasg like Ga-
tun, Muallimeen, and Mafraq—on June 17, 2014, with Iraqi SWAT
teams carrying out the preemptive execution of around 50 detain-
ees when insurgents threatened to overrun the Mafraq police com-
pound.22 In Buhriz, to the south of Baqubah city, insurgents over-
ran and held the local police station for several hours before being
pushed out by Shi`a militiamen supported by Iraqi Army Aviation
Mi-35 helicopters. The clearance of Buhriz was accompanied by
the torching of civilian houses and mosques, the execution of up
to 30 military-aged males, and the displacement of much of the
local population.23 Outside Baqubah, the scattered 5th Iraqi Army
division forces and PMF units secured Khalis and regained contact
with all the DRV towns by early July.24
The Islamic State seems to have concentrated its efforts in north-
ern Diyala, specifically the towns “Arabized” by the Saddam Hussein
regime such as Jalula, Saadiyah, and Qara Tapa, within what ISI
called the Azim sector.h In the spring of 2014, the Islamic State was
clearly preparing to evict Iraqi Army forces from these areas, ready-
ing the battlefield in a manner similar to its lead-up to the Mosul
offensive. These shaping operations included attacking bridges with
car bombs in order to obstruct security force reinforcement of the
area; use of platoon-sized assaults to overrun police stations; and
larger assaults on headquarters involving very large, water-tanker
suicide VBIEDs and follow-on infantry assaults.25 Much of the Is-
lamic State’s reinforcements in Diyala in 2014 seems to have been
g These areas were historically strong AQI/ISI operating areas, adjacent to
the ISI Tarmiyah sector on the west side of the Tigris and next to Hibhib,
where Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in 2006.
h This refers to Uzaym/Udaim, a river running parallel to the Diyala, including
Udaim town and dam, Qara Tapa, and Deli Abbas, a key launch-pad location
within the Diyala River delta north of Muqdadiyah. See Patrick B. Johnston,
Jacob N. Shapiro, Howard J. Shatz, Benjamin Bahney, Danielle F. Jung,
Patrick Ryan, and Jonathan Wallace, Foundations of the Islamic State:
Management, Money, and Terror in Iraq, 2005–2010 (Santa Monica, CA:
RAND Corporation, 2016), pp. 85-89.
4 CTC SENTINEL O C T O B E R 2 01 6
Screen capture from video released in August 2016 by Diyala Media Bureau, Islamic State
fed into the northern fight against the Kurds for control of Jalula,
which the Islamic State seized in a massive deliberate assault on Au-
gust 11, 2014, that employed 20 suicide vest bombers. This northern
preference seems to have been based on the Islamic State’s alliance
with local tribes in the Lake Hamrin area, arguably the only place
in Diyala where AQI/ISI and later the Islamic State maintained a
strong, pre-existing base of support in 2014. When Kurdish forces
moved forward to replace a collapsing Iraqi security forces (ISF)
presence in late June and July, the Islamic State quickly struck deals
with anti-Kurdish Sunni tribes such as the Kerwi and strongly sup-
ported a joint operation against the Kurds.i
Islamic State Regeneration since 2015
Between the fall of Mosul in June 2014 and January 2015, the Iraqi
Army and various Shi`a militias working under the rubric of the
Hashd al-Sha’abi (Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF) recap-
tured territory in Diyala. In January 2015, the Tigris Operations
Command declared the liberation of Diyala province.26 But Badr’s
“mission accomplished” moment in Diyala only marked the begin-
ning of a new phase of the local conflict with the Islamic State and
one in which the insurgents have partially regained the initiative.
The Islamic State has fallen back into the ungoverned spaces of Di-
yala: the dense palm groves of the DRV between Muqdadiyah and
Baqubah; the inhospitable wastes of the Iranian border; and the
Hamrin Mountains, where parallel striations, or ridgelines, greatly
slow motorized security forces, giving insurgents plenty of time to
relocate or set ambushes.
The Islamic State’s use of historic Diyala River delta bastions
i The Kerwi tribesmen are long-time inhabitants of the Lake Hamrin area
and include a high proportion of former military officers as well as farmers.
“Diyala Governor Splits Sunnis to Defeat Impeachment Bid,” Inside Iraqi
Politics 134.
KNIGHTS / MELLO
such as Zaghaniyah, Qubbah, Mukhisa, and Abu Karmah is par-
ticularly problematic for the security forces. In the riverside groves
to the north of these areas, the Islamic State has returned to the
old AQI/ISI habit of creating major defensive bunker complexes,
bomb-making factories, supply points, and training camps.j In Au-
gust 2015 insurgents extended their presence into the DRV groves
south of Baqubah, with IED cells operating from bastions on the
west bank of the Diyala River between Baqubah and Khan Bani
Saad.27 The Islamic State is increasingly hard to ignore in these
areas because they are using the groves to launch an escalating
drumbeat of effective IEDsk and mortar strikesl on local villages
and security outposts and, lately, also larger assaults on outposts
and fixed checkpoint positions. In the first of many similar assaults,
an ISF outpost in the groves near Muqdadiyah was attacked on
July 15, 2015, by a platoon-sized Islamic State cell in a sustained
engagement that lasted for several hours.28 By December 2015, pla-
toon-sized Islamic State fighting cells were conducting night raids
j In August 2015, ISF cleared a large insurgent training camp, refit and
support base, and IED-manufacturing site deep in the groves near Mukhisa.
See Ali Salem, “Diyala destroys the camp Zarqawi used to recruit and train
extremists,” New Sabah, August 21, 2015.
k In a recent example on January 11, 2016, Islamic State fighters infiltrated
across the Diyala River from Sherween (north of Abu Sayda) to set up two
daisy-chained roadside IEDs that were used against a Sunni tribal militia
working with the ISF, wounding one fighter. All incident data is drawn from
the authors’ geolocated Significant Action (SIGACT) dataset. The dataset
brings together declassified coalition SIGACT data plus private security
company and open-source SIGACT data used to supplement and extend
the dataset as coalition incident collection degraded in 2009-2011 and was
absent in 2012-2014.
l These are typically mortar salvos of five to seven rounds that appear to
be carefully surveyed. Firing against static and unprotected targets like
checkpoints or civilian villages, the attacks frequently cause fatalities and
multiple injuries. Authors’ SIGACT dataset.

on ISF in the Buhriz area, just four kilometers south of the provin-
cial capital.m By October 2016, DRV towns like Qubbah and Abu
Karmah were being isolated by Islamic State patrolling and snap
checkpoints, a potential precursor to an overrun.29
The Badr-led security effort in Diyala has struggled to come to
grips with the Islamic State rural bastions. Some areas such as the
Mandali and Nida areas on the Iranian border and the shores of
Lake Hamrin appear to have been yielded to the insurgents, and
ISF only goes in temporarily during ineffective clearance opera-
tions.30 The groves around Mukhisa—dubbed the “Kandahar of
Diyala” by local security officials 31—have been the scene of painful,
IED-initiated ambushesn against ISF patrols attempting to push
into the bush. The Tigris Operations Command is bulldozing and
burning back the ancient palm groves to protect better the exten-
sion of fixed security checkpoints and patrols along the roads.o Re-
taliation against the local Sunni population has been a regular oc-
currence over the last three years 32 and is likely to increase as Iraqi
Army and PMF frustrations and casualties grow.p
A Strategic Terrorist Campaign
The Islamic State may not place much priority on the control of
Baqubah and southern Diyala, but the movement will find the prov-
ince immensely useful if it wishes to resurrect the idea of fomenting
a Shi`a-Sunni war in Iraq by drawing sectarian retaliation onto the
Sunnis and driving them toward the Islamic State for protection.
This was Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s specific intent in his February
2004 letter to Ayman al-Zawahiri.33 The Islamic State has already
begun to bait Badr and the PMF with local car bombings. VBIEDs
have targeted Shi`a civilians and PMF in Baqubah, Khalis, Muq-
dadiyah, and also in the Shi`a-majority agricultural towns of Balad
Ruz and Kan’an. Such attacks can be highly lethal; on July 17, 2015,
a massive ice truck VBIED hit a market in Khan Bani Sa’ad, killing
over 120 Iraqis.34 The Islamic State has also upped its attacks on
electricity transmission pylons and gas pipelines that are intended
m An Islamic State photo report released in December 2015 showcased the
operations of a platoon-sized Islamic State unit in the Buhriz area raiding
the houses of ISF personnel and carrying out battlefield extrajudicial
killings. See imagery in “IS’ Diyala Province Releases Photo Report on
Raiding Enemy Sites in Buhriz,” SITE Intelligence Group, December 2, 2015.
n In another recent example on July 12, an ISF patrol on a rural road four
kilometers east of Mukhisa was hit with an IED and engaged with small-
arms fire from insurgents in groves. Authors’ SIGACT dataset.
o In May 2016, the Tigris Operations Command began implementing a new
security plan for the area supported by the deployment of provincial SWAT
units from Baghdad and Wasit, pushing new roads into the groves along
the Diyala River, setting up new fixed checkpoints on the farm roads linking
the villages, and stepping up patrolling. See “Security forces in Diyala open
road amid orchards to control the areas Daesh,” Alhurra Iraq, available on
Youtube.com, May 17, 2015.
p In the first three quarters of 2016, the number of openly reported ISF and
PMF casualties in frontline fighting in Muqdadiyah district were 40-50 killed
and 80-90 wounded. Diyala is less open to journalists than other parts of
Iraq, and considering that ISF casualties are generally underreported, the
above numbers likely represent a half or a third of actual security force
casualties. Authors’ SIGACT dataset.
O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 5
to increase Baghdad’s power supply.q
Mass-casualty attacks are effective in stirring local sectarian
and tribal tensions in cross-sectarian areas like Diyala. Following
a January 11, 2016, double bombing in a café in Muqdadiyah that
killed over 46, including a local Badr commander, roving bands
of Badr and Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) fighters cruised the city, us-
ing loudspeakers to call on Sunni families to leave or face execu-
tion. Militiamen also torched Sunni-owned shops and houses and
firebombed seven Sunni mosques, despite the curfew in place and
the deployment of Diyala police reinforcements.35 Another suicide
bombing of a Shi`a militia funeral in a village outside Muqdadiyah
in February 2016 resulted in over 50 fatalities, including several
AAH and Badr commanders. The attack was followed by clashes
between police and militias at the Muqdadiyah police headquarters
when militiamen attempt to storm the jail and execute detainees.36
The Islamic State has also used Diyala as a base to launch attacks
on Baghdad, particularly Shi`a-majority east Baghdad, which is ac-
cessible at multiple points from Balad Ruz and Baqubah districts.r
On July 3, 2016, a suicide car bomb detonated in front of a shopping
mall in Baghdad’s Karrada peninsula, sparking a fire that killed
over 300 Iraqis, one of the deadliest single attacks in Iraq since
2003.37 The Iraqi Ministry of Interior indicated the car bomb had
been constructed in Diyala and passed through a checkpoint near
Khalis before driving on to Baghdad. A wave of three car bombs
in Sadr City and east Baghdad in early May 2016 was also traced
back to Diyala.38 If further car bombings spark sectarian reprisals
in Baghdad or elsewhere, or skew the shape of sectarian politics
and electioneering or security force appointments, then the Islamic
State may be able to quickly move past its battlefield defeats with a
highly consequential strategic terrorist campaign.
The Future of the Islamic State in Diyala and in Iraq
The Islamic State would undoubtedly prefer to control Mosul, Ra-
madi, Fallujah, or Tikrit than rural Diyala, but the group is rap-
idly being denied that option. Diyala has always been a fallback,
a place to hide and recover, which suits exactly the Islamic State’s
current needs. The exclusion of coalition forces from Diyala due to
Badr’s stranglehold on the Tigris Operations Command will make
it far harder for ISF to penetrate the Islamic State’s rural bastions,
which historically required U.S. intelligence, surveillance, and re-
connaissance plus special operations, precision-strike capabilities,
and local Sunni militias. Without determined sectarian and ethnic
peace-building efforts, the identity politics of Diyala will keep the
Islamic State and allied movements stocked with recruits in the
years to come and deny the security forces vital intelligence on the
enemy.
q Since 2013, the Islamic State has carried out a persistent multi-year
campaign on electricity pylons carrying Iranian voltage to Iraq and more
recently has struck Iranian pipeline crews working on a pipeline to bring
Iranian gas to Diyala power stations (and eventually to Baghdad). On
December 13, 2013, 15 Iranians were shot dead along with three Iraqis in
one such attack on pipeline teams. More recently, ISF captured an Islamic
State cell on April 26, 2016, in Imam Ways (north of Muqdadiyah) involved
in IED attacks on pylons and repair crews. Authors’ SIGACT dataset.
r Along with the Tarmiyah area just north of Baghdad city, the Baghdad
Operations Command views Diyala as the chief source of the car bomb
threat against the capital. Author (Knights) interview, Baghdad security
official, 2016.
6 CTC SENTINEL O C T O B E R 2 01 6
Neither Badr nor the Kurds seem likely to adopt effective coun-
terinsurgency approaches such as the reconciliation and Sunni em-
powerment initiatives that suppressed AQI/ISI in Diyala in 2007-
2009. In May 2015, the pan-Shi`a and Kurdish blocs colluded with
some Sunni factions to replace the Sunni provincial governor Amer
al-Majmais with Badr’s own Muthanna al-Tamimi, a Shi`a politi-
cian.39 Though Badr has offered to support a Sunni provincial gov-
ernor after new local elections (due in 2017),40 the likelihood is that
Badr will continue to dominate local politics and security. Where
Sunnis feel divided and powerless in the political sphere, the lure
of armed opposition will grow.
Badr has various options if it seeks to secure the support of Diya-
la’s fractured Sunni population. Albeit for its own factional motives,
Badr is starting to crack down on rival militia AAH,t the militia most
regularly linked to sectarian massacres, criminal rackets, and high-
way checkpoint shakedowns.u Hadi al-Ameri has also splintered
and co-opted some Sunni tribes by facilitating—or withholding—
the return of internally displaced persons to their homes.v Badr is
also allowing some returned tribes to serve as Hashd al-`Asha’iri
(tribal mobilization forces) in order to penetrate Islamic State rural
bastions.w But outside of these rural northern Diyala hotspots, Badr
s Al-Majmai was himself a puppet of the Shi`a parties in Baghdad, replacing
another Sunni governor, Omar al-Humayri, ousted by a Badr-led intrigue.
The authors wish to thank Kirk Sowell and Nate Rabkin of the Inside Iraqi
Politics team for their outstanding work on the collation and analysis of
political trends in Diyala.
t On September 21-26, 2016, Badr paramilitaries and AAH paramilitaries
were fighting for control of the sub-district center of Abu Sayda. In Tuz
Khurmatu, meanwhile, Badr moved against AAH locations within the town.
Authors’ SIGACT dataset.
u For example, on February 23, 2013, leaflets signed by AAH threatened
families living in Muqdadiyah unless they left their homes in 48 hours.
Authors’ SIGACT dataset.
v Badr leader Hadi al-Amiri personally accompanied 400 Sunni families
returning to Mansouriyah in May 2016. See “Diyala Governor Splits Sunnis
to Defeat Impeachment Bid,” Inside Iraqi Politics 134, July 11, 2016.
w Badr seems to have made good progress with the Azzawi tribe, a major
grouping in the Hamrin and Muqdadiyah area, with the Tigris Operations
Command nominally led by an Azzawi figure, Major General Muzhir al-
Azzawi. Jabbouri confederation Hashd al-Asha’ir fighters also work with
Badr in northern Diyala, as they do in the Tikrit and Kirkuk areas.
Citations
1 For primers on Diyala, see Eric Hamilton, “Expanding Security in Diyala,”
Institute for the Study of War, August 2008; Kimberly Kagan, “The Battle
for Diyala,” Iraq Report IV, Weekly Standard, May 7, 2007; and Michael
Knights, “Pursuing Al-Qaeda into Iraq’s Diyala Province,” CTC Sentinel 1:9
(2008).
2 Joel Wing, “How Iraq’s Civil War Broke Out In Diyala Province: Interview
With Former Interrogator Richard Buchanan,” Musings on Iraq, July 28,
2014.
3 A very sharp picture of AQI/ISI’s near-victory and the total loss of govern-
ment control is given in Patrick B. Johnston, Jacob N. Shapiro, Howard
J. Shatz, Benjamin Bahney, Danielle F. Jung, Patrick Ryan, and Jonathan
Wallace, Foundations of the Islamic State: Management, Money, and Terror
in Iraq, 2005–2010 (Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2016), pp. 35,
50.
KNIGHTS / MELLO
is still rejecting alliances with Sunni fighters. For instance, nearly
3,000 original pre-2011 Diyala “Popular Committee” fightersx have
been demobilized since the fall of Mosul,41 suggesting Badr prefers
to blanket Sunni areas with Shi`a militias rather than trust Diyala
Sunnis with weapons. Unlike in other Sunni-majority provinces
where Sunni leaders command the Hashd forces, the Diyala PMF
are led by provincial councilman Qasim al-Maamuri, a Shi`a ally
of Badr.42 The Kurds do not allow any Arab paramilitary forces in
the areas they control and have even stated that no members of
the Kerwi tribe, which backed the Islamic State, will be allowed to
return to Jalula.y
Diyala offers a look into the near-future of Iraq’s security sit-
uation in areas where ethno-sectarian tensions are neglected or
even exacerbated by government policies and the presence of un-
controlled militias. The Islamic State’s partial regaining of the ini-
tiative, very quick recovery, and transition back toward insurgency
and strategic terrorism in Diyala is instructive, though it may not
be matched in other provinces due to the unique mix of geography
and human terrain in each Iraqi governorate. If Diyala continues
on its present path, it is likely to become the Islamic State’s main
safe haven location in Iraq, back-to-back with other key operational
locations like Tarmiyah, the Jallam Desert, the Hamrin Mountains,
the Iranian border, and the eastern approaches to Baghdad. CTC
x This was the highly successful Diyala version of the “Sahwa” (Awakening).
Numerous Sunni paramilitary volunteer groups flipped from anti-coalition
insurgency to anti-AQI/ISI operations in 2007-2009. For a useful reference,
see Multi-National Division–North PAO Press Release No. 20061210-09,
“Sheiks continue discussions of security, stability for Diyala,” Dec. 10, 2006,
and Multi-National Division–North PAO, “Sheiks sign peace agreement,”
May 3, 2007.
y The Kerwi are the largest Sunni tribe in Jalula, and Diyala’s elected
Provincial Council Chairman, Omar al-Kerwi, is from this tribe. Inside Iraqi
Politics 134.
4 Wing, “How Iraq’s Civil War Broke Out In Diyala Province.”
5 For a detailed account of AQI’s takeover of the rural Diyala River villages in
2006-2007, see James Few, “The Break Point: AQIZ Establishes the ISI in
Zaganiyah,” Small Wars Journal, April 17, 2008.
6 See Knights, “Pursuing Al-Qaeda into Iraq’s Diyala Province” and Annex
5 on 2005 provincial election results in Michael Knights and Eamon Mc-
Carthy, “Provincial Politics in Iraq: Fragmentation or New Awakening?”
Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 2008.
7 “Iraq Household Socio-Economic Survey,” Comprehensive Food Security
and Vulnerability Analysis (CFSVA), Central Organization for Statistics
& Information Technology (COSIT), and United Nations World Food
Programme, 2008, pp. 129-136.
8 For a summary of Badr’s long involvement in Diyala, see Michael Knights,
“Iraq’s Bekaa Valley,” Foreign Affairs, March 16, 2015.
 O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 7

9 “Shift to Extreme Polarization Continues,” Inside Iraqi Politics 83, April 19,
2014, p. 2.
10 For a good explanation on the parts of Diyala claimed by the Kurds, see
Sean Kane, “Iraq’s Disputed Territories: A View of the Political Horizon and
Implications for U.S. Policy,” U.S. Institute for Peace, 2011.
11 Author (Knights) interview, Iraqi intelligence officers, Diyala province,
2011.
12 “Iraq Household Socio-Economic Survey,” pp. 130-132.
13 A good summary of trends can be found in “The Water Wars Waged by the
Islamic State,” Stratfor, November 25, 2015.
14 All incident data is drawn from the authors’ geolocated Significant Action
(SIGACT) dataset. The dataset brings together declassified coalition SI-
GACT data plus private security company and open-source SIGACT data
used to supplement and extend the dataset as coalition incident collec-
tion degraded in 2009-2011 and was absent in 2012-2014.
15 Authors’ SIGACT dataset.
16 Johnston et al., pp. 20-22.
17 Ned Parker, “Special Report: How Mosul fell - An Iraqi general disputes
Baghdad’s story,” Reuters, October 14, 2014.
18 An excellent collation of open-source articles on these intra-insurgent
clashes is provided in Joel Wing, “Iraq’s Diyala Province An Insurgent
Stronghold,” Musings on Iraq, February 2, 2015.
19 For an excellent breakdown of these groups, see “Appendix 5: Iraq’s New
Iranian-Influenced/Proxy Militias” in Phillip Smyth, “The Shiite Jihad in
Syria and Its Regional Effects,” Policy Focus 138, Washington Institute for
Near East Policy, February 2015.
20 Susannah George, “Breaking Badr,” Foreign Policy, November 6, 2014.
21 David Cenciotti, “Previously unknown details about Iranian F-4, F-5, Su-24
and UAVs involvement in air strikes on ISIS targets in Iraq,” Aviationist,
December 4, 2015.
22 Ahmed Ali, Heather L. Pickerell, and ISW Iraq Team, “ISW Iraq Situation
Report,” June 17, 2014; “Iraq conflict: Clashes on approaches to Baghdad,”
BBC, June 17, 2014; Oliver Holmes, “Sunnis accuse Iraq forces of jailhouse
massacre,” Reuters, June 19, 2014.
23 Ned Parker, Ahmed Rasheed, and Raheem Salman, “Sectarian strife
threatens Iraq ahead of election,” Reuters, April 27, 2014; Ghaith Ab-
dul-Ahad, “Iraq election holds little hope of change for town scarred by
decade of war,” Guardian, April 29, 2014.
24 Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, “Iraq: on the frontline with the Shia fighters taking
the war to Isis,” Guardian, August 24, 2014.
25 Matt Bradley and Ali A. Nabhan, “Fledgling Iraqi Military Is Outmatched
on Battlefield,” Wall Street Journal, May 1, 2014.
26 Wing, “Iraq’s Diyala Province: An Insurgent Stronghold.”
27 “Diyala governor pushes for ‘quick solutions’ to curb the killings and
set up improvised explosive devices in the village of Bani Saad,” Almada
Press, August 22, 2015.
28 Authors’ SIGACT dataset.
29 “A mortar shell fell on the farming village northeast of Baquba,” Al Su-
maria, October 3, 2016.
30 For a good characterization of ISF’s missteps in the Lake Hamrin area,
see “Badr’s Bid to Lead Shia Camp Struggles in Diyala, Tuz,” Inside Iraqi
Politics 130, pp. 5-6, June 20, 2015.
31 `Ammar Tariq and Nida’ Fu’ad, “Amn Abi Sayda: Al-Makhisa Qandahar
Diyala wala Nahtaj ila Athan Al-Siyasiyyin li Darb Al-Irhab,” Al-Sumaria,
April 19, 2014, http://www.alsumaria.tv/news/98297/#
32 A thorough collation of ISF and PMF atrocities in Diyala can be found in
Wing, “Iraq’s Diyala Province: An Insurgent Stronghold.” For a close look
at early 2014 atrocities, see “Low-Level Sectarian Violence Defies Recon-
ciliation Efforts,” Inside Iraqi Politics 78, February 3, 2014, p. 8.
33 A translation of this letter is available on the U.S. State Department web-
site.
34 Kevin Conlon, Jason Hanna, and Mohammed Tawfeeq, “Iraq ice truck
bombing kills 120,” CNN, July 19, 2015.
35 A good summary of the events in Muqdadiyah is available in Joel Wing,
“Iraq’s Diyala Province Explodes in Sectarian Violence after Islamic State
Bombing,” Musings on Iraq, January 14, 2015.
36 “Iraq crisis: Suicide bomb kills 38 at Shia funeral,” BBC, February 29,
2016.
37 Ali A. Nabhan and Karen Leigh, “Death Toll from Sunday Baghdad Bomb-
ing Nears 300,” Wall Street Journal, July 7, 2016.
38 “Kayfa Dakhalat Al-Sayyarah Al-Mufakhakha ila Madinat Al-Sadir?” Al-
Mu`alimmah, May 11, 2016.
39 “Militia Clashes Raise Issue of Stability in Liberated Areas,” Inside Iraqi
Politics 111, pp. 4-5, May 21, 2015; “Sunni Provincial Leaders Emasculat-
ed,” Inside Iraqi Politics 112, pp. 5-7, June 20, 2015.
40 Ibid.
41 “Awakening warns of absence for its fighters in Diyala area,” Al Sumaria,
July 5, 2016.
42 “Diyala: Militias Push for More Professional Organization,” Inside Iraqi Pol-
itics 94, October 21, 2014, p. 4.
8 CTC SENTINEL O C T O B E R 2 01 6
A View from the CT Foxhole: An Interview
with LTG(R) Charles T. Cleveland, former
Commanding General, USASOC
By Kristina Hummel
LTG(R) Charles T. Cleveland is the former commanding gen-
eral of U.S. Army Special Operations Command (2012-2015)
and former commander of Special Operations Command-Cen-
tral (2008-2011). A 1978 graduate of the United States Military
Academy, LTG(R) Cleveland is a senior fellow at the Combat-
ing Terrorism Center at West Point and the Madison Policy Fo-
rum, a senior mentor to the Chief of Staff of the Army’s Strate-
gic Studies Group, and an adjunct at the RAND Corporation.
CTC: Increasingly, our nation is calling on Special Operations
Forces (SOF) to engage its enemies. What are the advantages
and disadvantages of this shift toward less-conventional war-
fare? Is this change a temporary response to the nature of our
current fight, or is it a more permanent and fundamental shift
for the foreseeable future?
Cleveland: The shift is a response to U.S. dominance in conven-
tional warfighting, which remains critical and should not be taken
for granted. The means that one country or group may use to im-
pose its will on another are, however, additive. Conventional war
remains a viable means if your adversary is vulnerable to that type
of persuasion. So I do not see this as a temporary condition, and it
is a result of fundamental changes in the security landscape. So long
as we remain or are perceived to be preeminently powerful in the
conventional use of force, our enemies will choose irregular means
to try and impose their will on the U.S., and our friends, partners,
and allies.
Having said that, it is important to understand why SOF has
risen from footnote and supporting player to main effort, because
its use also highlights why the U.S. continues to have difficulty in
its most recent campaigns—Afghanistan, Iraq, against ISIS and AQ
and its affiliates, Libya, Yemen, etc. and in the undeclared cam-
paigns in the Baltics, Poland, and Ukraine—none of which fits the
U.S. model for traditional war.
There are two primary types of SOF missions and corresponding
forces. On the one hand, the Army Special Forces component of U.S.
Special Operations Forces, organized after World War II to sup-
port indigenous resistance groups, and subsequently to assist in the
countering of such groups after the French loss of Dien Bien Phu in
Vietnam, uses its deep knowledge of working with locals to either
capitalize on indigenous methods that might be more appropriate
for certain conflicts or to employ “indigenous mass” in the place of
American forces. The other type, being created in part to emulate
Israeli success at Entebbe and to overcome failure at Desert One in
Iran,a has become an unmatched kill/capture and hostage-rescue
a In July 1976, Israeli commandos carried out a hostage rescue mission at
Entebbe Airport in Uganda. Desert One refers to the failed April 1980 Delta
Force mission to rescue American hostages held in Iran.
capability, with an ability to accomplish its mission with limited
collateral damage.
Each type of SOF is organized to reflect the necessarily distinct
approaches to uncertainty that these two very different missions
entail, and these characteristics have proven critical in today’s pop-
ulation-centric conflicts. The surgical-strike capability reduces
uncertainty to the degree possible through high-volume ISR [In-
telligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance] and intel fusion, then
the capability is executed, further reducing risk by placing superi-
or, mature operators on the objectives. Alternatively, while Special
Forces have as their mission to move into uncertainty, they mitigate
risk through their ability to understand local situations and use a
mix of martial and personal skills to survive, report, mitigate, and
exploit the local situation to the advantage of the U.S. This takes
specially selected soldiers who spend considerable time compared
to other soldiers in education, training, and mission-preparation.
The mission requires not only skills in expert light infantry but also
language, tradecraft, area studies, survival medicine, engineering,
and weapons. These small teams are organized to be self-sustaining
in order to enhance their viability in hostile and denied areas. It is
these two qualities—the surgical application of force that greatly
reduces collateral damage and death of innocents, and the working
by, with, and through locals—that has proven not only effective but
also most acceptable in recent conflicts.
CTC: Are we, as a nation, where we need to be militarily to meet
the challenges of these new threats?
Cleveland: In my estimation, the U.S. still remains at a disadvan-
tage in its operational/strategic-level thinking about such wars and,
as a consequence, in its ability to develop appropriate campaigns
and field competent, campaign-quality headquarters. Through
most of the Cold War our security sector proved adequate to deter,
and when applied against conventional enemies in limited wars
performed magnificently. However, these same military constructs
proved unable to achieve the desired U.S. political objectives in
Vietnam, even after a long, costly attempt. As [retired Special Forc-
es colonel and Georgetown University Associate Professor] Dave
Maxwell has noted, it could be said that North Vietnam’s strategy
of Dau Tranh—integrated political and military struggle—proved
superior to the U.S. counterinsurgency campaign.
And since Vietnam, our adversaries have increasingly aimed
their strategies at a weakness exposed by Vietnam, namely Amer-
ica’s inability to sustain casualties and outspend opponents for ex-
tended periods in conflicts that are not existential—in other words,
our will. I think it is no coincidence that as the American people
were able to witness firsthand the horrors of war in ever increasing
fidelity, first through TV and now through social media and the in-
ternet, the U.S. policy- and war-makers’ ability to use overwhelming
force in population-centric wars has been hamstrung to the point
that they are clearly insufficient. Therefore, so long as we maintain

our conventional dominance, our state and proto-state enemies
will continue to further their interests, when diplomacy and other
instruments do not suit them or apply, through proxy fights, ter-
ror, and permanent, low-grade conflict just under the threshold for
what is viewed as traditional war.
CTC: Given this discussion, should conventional U.S. forces
be increasingly trained and outfitted in ways traditionally re-
served for SOF?
Cleveland: I maintain that in the most recent fights, the U.S. did
not fail because of inadequately or improperly trained or led bat-
talion-level formations. For the most part, whether conventional or
SOF, these units were magnificent and reflected every bit of what
is great about the American Soldier. So I believe they must strive
to remain elite within their specialty as a deterrent and to assure
friends of our ability to succeed in a conventional war.
It has been my experience that the bona fides of U.S. units and
soldiers with any foreign military or militia is their ability to per-
form their primary war-fighting tasks, not their cultural sensitivity.
Time spent becoming culturally sensitive at the expense of time in
the field or on the range is, in my experience, a poor tradeoff. Per-
haps a more useful SOF example for conventional forces is in SOF’s
surgical strike half. Adopting appropriate tactics, techniques, and
procedures used by our national-level raiding forces in targeting, in-
filtration, and tactics is more useful to their pursuit of being the best
LTG(R) Charles T. Cleveland, then commanding general of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, is pictured at Fort
Bragg, North Carolina, in 2012. (U.S. Army/Dave Chace, SWCS Public Affairs Office)
O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 9
at their primary mission. The Ranger Regiment’s Abrams Charterb
is a standing directive and reminder of the natural and necessary
connection between it and the conventional infantry.
The U.S. military’s challenges were largely above the battalion.
They were in the senior leadership and supporting staff ’s under-
standing of the nature of the conflict and in their inability to over-
come institutional and structural bias towards fighting the war as
they would want it to be, as opposed to the way it was. Most dam-
aging were several, compounding bad national policy decisions for
both Afghanistan and Iraq that shaped U.S. campaigns in those
theaters. Deciding that nation-building was essential to success in
Afghanistan and electing to not reconstitute the Iraqi Army and to
purge all Baathists in 2003 in Iraq committed the U.S. to long, cost-
ly campaigns that exposed our strategic weakness. I do not know
what military advice was given to policymakers or how well the ar-
guments were framed. I have to wonder, if the U.S. could do it over,
would we do it differently? Further, what formations or capabilities
would we have wanted to have when the war started?
CTC: Are there steps that could or should be taken to enhance
the necessary capabilities?
Cleveland: To fill the capability gap, USSOCOM [United States
b In activating the Ranger Regiment in 1973, General Creighton Abrams
stipulated that it would be “an elite, light, and most proficient infantry
battalion in the world ... that can do things with its hands and weapons
better than anyone.” Russ Bryant and Susan Bryant, Weapons of the U.S.
Army Rangers (St. Paul, MN: Zenith Press, 2005), p. 23.
10 CTC SENTINEL O C T O B E R 2 01 6
Special Operations Command] must be tasked and authorized by
Congress to take over the professional military education (PME) of
its officers. Further, it should task its Special Warfare Center and
School at Fort Bragg to become the DoD center for the study of the
phenomenon of resistance, insurgency, rebellion, terror, and civil
war, and for joint and interagency concept development for U.S.
use of and counter to such forms of conflict. Finally, USSOCOM
must develop, in cooperation with the Army and Marine Corps,
joint special operations commands staffed with appropriate spe-
cial and conventional professionals and interagency expertise to
develop and execute campaigns that are designed to support oth-
er nations in their fight against insurgents or terrorists, empower
them without supplanting them, or execute “small footprint” SOF
campaigns alongside indigenous forces against an enemy nation,
occupying power, or hostile non-state actor.
Remarkably, there is no Service PME focused on understand-
ing what history teaches are these most prevalent forms of conflict.
Isolated pockets of scholarship exist, such as the SOCAP [Special
Operations Campaign Artistry Program] Course at Fort Leaven-
worth, Naval Postgraduate School’s Defense Analysis special opera-
tions curriculum, and in the National Defense University’s master’s
program at SWCS [the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special War-
fare Center and School]. But there is no focused effort to create
the needed scholarship to provide the foundation for PME or the
development of military concepts for its role in these fights. This
blind spot in the U.S. approach to defending the national interest
ultimately has resulted in a lack of critical capabilities. The U.S. is
hampered by the absence of a SOF equivalent to the Air Land Battle
Concept for conventional operations. Such a SOF concept would
then drive needed doctrine, organization, training, manpower,
leadership, etc. to better achieve U.S. objectives. The U.S. has been
highly successful in developing its concepts for conventional war; it
needs similar success in its approach to these more prevalent, less
conventional enemy strategies.
CTC: If we take a step back, it’s clear that today’s soldiers, par-
ticularly Special Operations, are increasingly being asked to
fulfill multiple roles when they are sent to conflict areas—diplo-
matic, intelligence, etc.—in addition to their operational duties.
Is this an acceptable ask of today’s soldier?
Cleveland: It depends, and SOF leaders have to judge when to
say yes or no or when to push back when the tasking comes from
a higher headquarters that may not understand SOF’s mission or
limitations. So long as the tasking is related to their core missions,
which can be interpreted fairly broadly, I think it is acceptable, so
long as it is a priority. SOF has filled some administrative taskings
in countries that gave the operator exposure to the culture or gave
the command first-hand information on an area of interest. Also,
some of these taskings are of national importance and the seasoned,
proven SOF operator may be the best choice to reliably get it done,
especially if it is in an area that is hostile or dangerous. These Sol-
diers, particularly the Special Forces soldier, are specially selected,
may have relevant language skills and experience in the country,
and are trained to operate in ambiguous situations. Also, the re-
cent reorganization of the SF Groups created smaller units of action
consisting of three-man teams or singletons to apply against such
non-standard taskings.
Having said that, non-SOF soldiers have provided absolutely es-
sential support to special operations missions. Conventional units
CLEVELAND
“The most successful aspects of our
work with the Afghans and Iraqis
have not been with our conduct of U.S.
CT. Instead, it was SOF’s development
of the Iraqi and Afghan special
operations units.”
have conducted combat operations as part of a SOF operation and
individual soldiers and units are normally woven into the fabric
of SO headquarters downrange. It really depends on what soldier
skills are called for and what the environment is. I am reminded of
a warning passed down from the great ones of the past: Don’t con-
fuse enthusiasm for capability. There are some things that should
be left to SOF.
CTC: Much of the public discussion of SOF tends to focus on
the counterterrorism application of these forces, for obvious
reasons given the conflicts we have been involved in over the
past 15 years. But can you speak more broadly about prevalence
of irregular warfare in today’s environment and the role of SOF
in dealing with these challenges, beyond CT?
Cleveland: The irony is that the most successful aspects of our work
with the Afghans and Iraqis have not been with our conduct of U.S.
CT, which certainly earned its notoriety. Instead, it was SOF’s de-
velopment of the Iraqi Counterterrorism Service (CTS) and its spe-
cial operations units, and Afghan Commando and Afghan Special
Forces units under the Afghan National Army Special Operations
Command. Today, both remain at the forefront of their respective
fights and are their countries’ most capable warfighting units. Also,
it has been a while, but you’ll recall that it was SOF’s unconvention-
al warfare capability with the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan that
toppled the Taliban.
SOF is at its best when its indigenous and direct-action capabil-
ities work in support of each other. Beyond Afghanistan and Iraq
and ongoing CT efforts elsewhere, SOF continues to work with
partner nations in counterinsurgency and counterdrug efforts in
Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Russia’s use of its updated variant
of unconventional warfare in the annexation of Crimea, in eastern
Ukraine, and the threat it poses to Poland and the Baltic States has
resulted in a renewed interest in the U.S. unconventional warfare
capability and how it can assist in their defense should the Russians
use the same tactics against them.
CTC: How did SOF capabilities evolve over the years that you
were a leader in that community? What challenges did you ex-
perience, during your time in command of these units, in adapt-
ing to the fight?
Cleveland: I was lucky enough to serve in SOF from 1979 to 2015.
My first unit was the 10th SF Group, which had an interesting,
strange, and largely dysfunctional chain of command. The com-
mand was dual-based, namely under the operational command
of the EUCOM Commander who was based at Patch Barracks [in
Stuttgart, Germany]. But since it was based in the U.S. for admin-
istrative purposes, the unit was under the administrative control of

the Fort Devens Post Commander. I was very junior, but it seemed
the advantages were few. One, though, was that members of the
Group would routinely coordinate directly with national level agen-
cies. I can remember doing so several times as a very junior officer.
I would have to wait until I was a general officer to get the same
access.
Beyond the obvious disadvantages of a split chain of command,
SF in those days were often the last to be resourced. This problem
continued for a while beyond the stand up of USSOCOM and its
subordinate service components. I can remember in 1989 watch-
ing the 7th Infantry Division soldiers patrol through our housing
areas in Panama where I was assigned to the 3rd Bn, 7th Special
Forces Group. Their kit was high tech and new. Ours was low/no
tech and old but serviceable. With the creation of USSOCOM and
its own funding line (referred to as MFP 11) the chain of command
cleared up and resourcing improved dramatically. Lastly, and prob-
ably most importantly, over the years SOF’s approach to selecting
and assessing candidates improved across the force. This increasing
quality in manpower drove improvements in all other areas. The
teams, companies, and battalions became uniformly elite across the
board. The differences between special operations forces became
their mission sets, not the quality of their soldiers. It was remark-
able to be a part of the change.
CTC: What specific changes or reforms that you implemented
while USASOC Commander do you think will have the most
enduring impact on enhancing the effectiveness of our SOF?
Cleveland: The writing of the Army’s first Special Operations Doc-
trinal Publication, ADP 3.05, in 2012 was a watershed achievement
for the Special Operations profession. It advanced two important
principles that can lead to significant advances in U.S. special op-
erations capabilities. The first is that the ADP properly describes
the two very different but essential Special Operations capabilities
that the country needs. It was [previously] widely understood that
there were two types of special operations; these were often referred
to as “black and white SOF” or “national and theater SOF.” Neither
were really accurate or helpful. The ADP set forth that the two types
O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 11
of SOF were a no fail surgical strike or precision direct action ca-
pability and a special warfare capability that centered on working
through indigenous assets and units in unconventional warfare.
The second important principle was ADP’s explicit recognition of
a portion of the conflict spectrum where special operations is the
primary maneuver force. By doing so, the Army identifies the need
for SOF campaigns and SOF operational art. Those are being de-
veloped now and given where the future fights are likely to take
place, none too soon.
CTC: What specific and/or immediate threats do you anticipate
the next president will have to grapple with? Are there ways
that SOF are uniquely prepared to meet those challenges?
Cleveland: The next president will need all the military tools at
the ready. Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, ISIS, AQ, and the in-
evitable natural disaster and pandemic will all demand some form
of a military response during his or her term. Actually, I think that
the world is more dangerous today than it has ever been during
my lifetime, which is saying something since I can remember hav-
ing to duck under our desks in grade school during A-bomb drills.
Important though will be the U.S.’s ability to aggregate and disag-
gregate military, interagency, and even private capacity with agility
around given security problems, and to do so where it can to prevent
conflict from erupting to begin with.
Some of these will obviously be SOF-centric, SOF-led cam-
paigns, but in most, SOF will have some role. Also, automating all
source intelligence sources, particularly open source and social me-
dia, has the potential to allow the U.S. to know and act sooner and
for less cost, an important option after the last 15 years.
CTC: What have you observed is the most persistent misunder-
standing by the public of what Special Operations Forces do?
Cleveland: That’s a tough question, but I think most people believe
that U.S. SOF operates with an open checkbook, unfettered by the
rules, and filled with nonconforming, rugged individualists who
have a problem with authority. They are right on one of these. CTC
12 CTC SENTINEL O C T O B E R 2 01 6
Lessons from the Fifteen-Year
Counterterrorism Campaign
By Andrew Liepman and Philip Mudd
For the past 15 years since 9/11, fighting terrorism has been
one of the United States’ top priorities. The low number
of casualties from terrorism in the United States indicate
that intelligence and law enforcement agencies have per-
formed well—preempting attacks, killing terrorists, work-
ing with partners overseas, and reducing the threat more
comprehensively than any observer would have judged
likely after 9/11. But the United States still suffers from a
hysteria about terrorism, fueled partly by a distorted na-
tional dialogue on issues such as the extent of the threat;
steps the country should take in areas as disparate as
migration and cyberspace; and how the country should
deal with youth who choose a potentially violent path.
T
he attacks on 9/11 forced the United States intelli-
gence community (IC) to pivot quickly and dramati-
cally. Practitioners from that era had few experiences
to draw on and little time to reflect on the decisions of
the global counterterror campaign. In the weeks and
months after the attacks, resources and people flowed in, expertise
grew, and analysts and operators grappled with a shadowy enemy
they did not fully understand. The evolution of that enemy—from
centralized al-Qa`ida to its affiliates, the growth of its propaganda
arm, and finally the appearance of the multi-headed beast that in-
cludes the Islamic State—required the IC to adjust, from chasing
a terror leader to his hideout in Abbottabad to finding an Islamic
State-inspired Twitter follower in California. Along the way, suc-
cesses ranged from the dismantling of al-Qa`ida’s leadership to
a largely unheralded but effective defensive screen in the United
States that has limited attacks here. No one in the dizzying days
after 9/11 would have believed that annual terrorism-related casu-
alties leading into 2017 would number only in the dozens; experts
might have predicted hundreds, even thousands. This rapid intel-
Andrew Liepman is a senior researcher at the RAND Corporation.
He retired after more than 30 years at the Central Intelligence
Agency, having served in senior positions in the offices covering
Iraq, the Middle East, and Weapons Intelligence. For the last six
years of his career, he headed the analytic arm of the National
Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) and served as the Center’s depu-
ty director until 2012.
Philip Mudd served as Deputy Director of the CIA’s Counterter-
rorism Center and a senior intelligence adviser at the FBI. He now
speaks, teaches, and writes about terrorism and analysis, and he
appears frequently as CNN’s counterterrorism analyst.
ligence escalation also prompted now much-debated steps such as
establishing CIA prisons, how the CIA treated al-Qa`ida prisoners,
and to the mistakes that led to the near-catastrophic miss of a ter-
rorist on board a plane over Detroit in 2009.
Fifteen years since the attacks, analysts can bring more perspec-
tive to what worked well, what did not, and where improvements
are needed. The record is pretty clear. Low casualties certainly indi-
cate that intelligence and law enforcement agencies have performed
well. But the nation’s leaders across government, including those in
the IC, have yet to carve out a government communication strat-
egy; fear and scaremongering creep too quickly into the national
conversation, whether about preventive measures, immigration,
or the safety of average Americans. The threat is real and enduring,
but terrorism too often monopolizes the national security dialogue
in emotional debates, leading to arguments that often lack factual
context.  
The following are reflections on the lessons learned, from the
first 15 years of the post-9/11 era, drawn from the experiences of
two former, long-time practitioners who witnessed this campaign
from the CIA, the FBI, and the National Counterterrorism Center.
Denial of Territory
Terrorist safe havens are critical to terror groups’ durability, and
controlling territory is essential to grow terrorists. After years of
deploying U.S. combat troops, a decade-plus of Special Forces
missions and intelligence operations, and drone surveillance and
strikes in theaters around the world, there is no substitute for con-
trolling territory. When the United States and its partners deny
space to terrorists, with ground troops, Special Forces and intelli-
gence operations, and local partnerships, the threat declines. Kill-
ing or capturing senior terror leaders counts as a critical element in
these campaigns, but only when local ground forces eliminate the
safe havens that allow future leaders to emerge, proselytize, and
plan and then direct attacks. The Islamic State is using its safe ha-
ven to devastating effect in Syria; the same is true for al-Qa`ida in
Yemen and Afghanistan and al-Shabaab in Somalia. Terror groups
cannot build external operations cells over time unless they have the
advantage of stable operating areas for planning and training. In
the future, a United States suffering intervention fatigue will have to
balance the limited will to spend resources overseas with the glaring
reality that unless the United States helps foreign partners fight the
next Islamic State-like generation in distant hotspots, those terror-
ists will eventually use their safe haven to target Americans.
Removing Leaders
Retaking territory takes time, often years. In the interim, killing
terrorists remains key in any long-term counterterrorism (CT) cam-
paign. Successes in this area have saved innocents and degraded
the enemy, though we do not yet fully understand the unintended
consequences of an aggressive lethal campaign; killing is a tactical

device to disrupt or prevent attacks rather than a strategic tool to
defeat a terrorist group. Removing leaders from the battlefield is
critical to preempt and prevent terror plots. But as we have seen too
clearly, removing successive generations of leaders, as we have done
in the case of al-Qa`ida, is not sufficient to eliminate the threat.
Lethal operations cannot be the only, or even the dominant, aspect
of a comprehensive CT program.  only tool used to deal with offenders—not so in the United States.
Alliances
Taking territory back, establishing a permissive environment in
which U.S. forces can operate, and maintaining a secure and stable
environment to prevent threats from resurging require local part-
ners. After 9/11, one of the most productive exercises was casting
a wide net, cajoling allies and partners of convenience to join the
fight. This painstaking coalition-building was key to successes, from
working with the coalition in Somalia to chipping away with allies
in Syria and pressing Pakistan to move in harder near its western
border with Afghanistan.
Partnership Trade-Offs
The United States cannot work just with its allies and friends to
defeat terrorists. U.S. cooperation with Jordan and Israel, with Eu-
ropean allies, and with Commonwealth friends are second nature
in this CT campaign. But fighting terrorism is also about forcing
tough choices. Does the United States work with regimes that vio-
late American values or act with ulterior motives? Egypt’s General
Sisi, for example, is an effective CT partner, but his crackdown on
those he considers extremists may reinforce underlying causes of
militancy. We could not have destroyed the core of al-Qa`ida with-
out the close and troubled partnership with Pakistan. The United
States wants the fundamental human right of democracy, but eth-
nic, religious, and tribal divides in these countries has resulted in
electoral processes that are violent and destabilizing. Over time,
in countries from Libya to Yemen, the United States may face the
choice Washington encountered in Egypt: encourage the end of
strongman leadership and hasten the rise of extremists in the re-
sulting chaos, or quietly accept the kind of autocrats who sparked
such unrest in the first place.
Messaging
Western leaders, particularly those in the United States, endlessly
debate how to combat violent extremism in the virtual space. The
Islamic State is failing, but largely because it has lost safe haven
and not because the West won the virtual war. We need to ask our-
selves three serious questions. First, does it matter? Too often we
assume that the Islamic State’s dominance in social media makes
it stronger, more enduring. Maybe so, but perhaps not as much as
we think. Second, how much effort do we spend on a more effective
counter-messaging effort? And third, what role does government
play? The United States overrates the war of ideas and the centrality
of the United States in waging and winning the propaganda war.
When terrorists lose territory, their message loses traction because
potential followers do not have a geographic location to which they
can migrate. As the Islamic State loses on the battlefield, its media
and propaganda efforts decline. Even if it did have a role in this de-
cline, the United States does not have much of a competing vision to
offer a group of extremists who believe that they have been ordained
by God to oppose the West.
O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 13
Rehabilitation
Using rehabilitation to turn potential terrorists away from extrem-
ism has more potential than analysts have allowed, especially be-
cause many youth are falling under the sway of extremists without
fully understanding the ideology they claim to accept. In Saudi Ara-
bia, Denmark, and elsewhere, long prison sentences are not the
A terrorism-related offense here promises a lengthy jail term and
minimal exposure to rehabilitation programs. Programs to work
with radicalized youth can actually help. There is a tendency in the
United States to too quickly categorize them as fundamentally dif-
ferent than youth who might join a gang or a cult. They are not.
While the early members of al-Qa`ida, captured in the first years
after 9/11, were ideologically committed to an Islamist revolution,
the youth joining the Islamic State today, including many of the
thousands who streamed into Syria, have little understanding of,
or commitment to, the ideology for which they are signing up. That
means that experts in Islam can challenge them in controlled envi-
ronments, such as rehabilitation programs.
Labels and Tone
After an attack, partisan battles quickly emerge. The expected “Was
it terrorism or not?” probe has far less to do with sensible respons-
es and more to do with partisan traps. These labels do not matter
much to counterterrorism professionals. Terrorism holds a special
place in the American psyche: we cannot always explain why it hap-
pens and we may never understand it, but if you call something
“terrorism,” it leaps onto the front page. Concerns and commentary
tends toward overreacting to individual attacks and pointing fin-
gers rather than improving our posture to respond to future attacks.
Regardless of whether politicians can or want to draw distinctions
between what scares Americans and what threatens Americans,
practitioners should. Threats of bans on Muslims, bogus debates
about sharia law in America, and relentless focus on violent crime in
the name of Islam without reference to the vastly more devastating
violent crime resulting from gangs and drugs in America are all
indications of a society that cannot get beyond political points and
emotional anger to focus on the question of how Islamic extremism
truly ranks as a threat to the nation.
Returning Fighters
The numbers of Western youth who have traveled to Syria to join
the Islamic State dwarfs previous waves of volunteers for al-Qa`ida
or al-Shabaab, but warnings about a long-term ripple effect of at-
tacks in the United States are exaggerated. Yes, we must keep track
of this group of potential terrorists, but compared to many other
countries, from Jordan and Tunisia to France, Belgium, and the
U.K., the United States has a manageable task. Some returnees may
plot and execute attacks, but the relatively modest impact of immi-
grants and returning fighters in the United States today suggests
that the level of violence from these groups will result in episodic
tragedies, not national security catastrophes.
Mission Definition and Clarity
Confusion between counterinsurgency and counterterrorism ob-
scures the debate about whether and how the United States should
intervene. The Islamic State, al-Shabaab, and Boko Haram all
threaten governments in their respective areas of operation. Only
a small sliver of these groups, though, is dedicated to trying to plan
14 CTC SENTINEL O C T O B E R 2 01 6
The Pentagon prior to a ceremony to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks (U.S. Navy/Damon J. Moritz)
and stage attacks overseas. When the United States talks about de-
feating the Islamic State, debates about intervention are fuzzy. Are
we targeting elements that threaten American cities? Or helping
foreign partners defeat elements that threaten foreign cities? The
first is and should be an American-led effort. The second is and
should be, after the lessons from major American interventions in
Afghanistan and Iraq, a foreign-led effort, supported by the United
States’ military, diplomats, and intelligence officers.
Root Causes
Once popular to describe underlying social problems that might
spur radicalization, the phrase “root causes” was overused and is
now largely dismissed as ‘too hard.’ But these basic grievances—
factors that cause young people to join extremist causes—still beg
more attention. Governance, economic opportunity, corruption,
and societal dysfunction are all likely causes of terrorism. The rise
of the Islamic State of Iraq is a case in point. How did a nearly
defeated al-Qa`ida in Iraq (a group which started calling itself the
Islamic State of Iraq in 2006) resurrect itself so quickly to become
the Islamic State? Blaming it on the United States’ pull-back from
Iraq grossly oversimplifies the problem. Rather, it was the Shi`a
government in Iraq that ignored the needs of its Sunni minority
that incubated the new threat. Whether it was the case of the Is-
lamic State in its self-declared caliphate, AQAP in Yemen, AQIM
in Mali, al-Shabaab in Somalia, or Boko Haram in Nigeria, mili-
tancy spread in a vacuum of authority where governments failed to
provide a satisfactory alternative to the terrorists. It is that vacuum
that must be filled, not simply with military operations against the
terrorists but also basic services and security.
LIEPMAN / MUDD
Resilience
The United States is obsessed with terrorism, to an unhealthy and
illogical degree. Gun violence, texting while driving, swimming
pools, and synthetic street drugs all dwarf terrorism as causes of
death in the United States, but none evoke the kind of visceral fear
and overreaction that terrorism does. Part of this fear is a national
failing, by  government officials, politicians, community leaders, and
communities themselves, for rarely attempting to communicate the
complex and painful truth that not all attacks can be stopped. Why
should the public accept some level of terrorist violence if their gov-
ernment seems unwilling to acknowledge that occasional failures
are part of reality? Many nations, including the U.K. and Israel,
among others, have suffered terrorism casualties in their homeland,
but none have responded with the same intensity, the same lev-
el of public alarm or public blaming to which America succumbs.
When politicians attempt to calm those fears, to put terrorism into
perspective, they are accused of ignoring danger, of coddling the
enemy. Terrorists want attention; our hyper-sensitivity to their vi-
olence feeds that need.
Perspective
The American people must understand that while vast efforts are
being undertaken to prevent terrorism, more attacks are inevitable.
Americans may think there is some way out, that some politician
will have a new solution that can stem or stop a small group of ex-
tremists from staging a strike against a random target. We do not
think this way about gang violence; we do not think this way about
school shootings or bank robberies; and we should not think this
way about terrorism. We must do all we can to reduce the risk of
terrorism and to address vulnerabilities, but we must admit soberly

that perfection is not attainable. Until we get this idea across, as
U.K. officials have, Americans will have unrealistic expectations of
what their politicians can deliver.
Cyberspace
Perspective in the divide between Silicon Valley and Washington
on the government’s access to data and on how the government
interacts with the private sector also would help. Rhetoric from U.S.
officials about access to data is overheated. American firms have a
responsibility to customers and shareholders, and they have a right
to challenge sweeping requests for data. But counterarguments
from U.S. firms are equally overwrought. There is, however, one
fundamental shift that the U.S. government has yet to acknowledge.
It does not control data as much as it did before the social media
explosion, and U.S. officials should spend more time figuring out
how to support data owners rather than requiring data owners and
technology providers to support the government. Social media com-
panies, for example, might benefit from working with government
entities that ask a simple question: How can we help you with your
efforts to police the slice of cyberspace in which you operate?   fact-free allegations about Islam and terrorism, and wasteful claims
Meanwhile, we have not yet found the proper balance between
civil liberties and security, partly because trust between government
and the private sector and citizenry is at a low ebb. With persistent
public questions about the government’s handling of private data,
more dependence on private sector companies as partners, not just
data providers, might help. The government has to learn how to
communicate better what it is doing and why, and legal remedies
O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 15
to force private sector compliance are not a good long-term answer.
Conclusion
Fifteen years after 9/11, the fight continues. The energy and com-
mitment our CT professionals have displayed is impressive. Many
in the core CT community are the same people whose lives were
upended on 9/11, and they have been in the fight ever since. Ques-
tions about winning and losing, political squabbles about whether
an attack is terrorism, and irresponsible overreactions that paint
immigrants, refugees, and indeed an entire religion as potential
terrorists do a disservice to the nation’s CT efforts, unnecessarily
extend the conflict, and distract us from our real target. The target
is not Islam; rather it is the narrow extremist mindset that views
murdering innocents as an acceptable tactic of war. That tactic is
rejected by all of the world’s civilized communities, whether Mus-
lim, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, or any other.
Terrorists are not winning, by any measure. We can continue this
successful campaign with a clearer focus on what we can achieve,
what is relevant, and who can help. Less focus on breathless threats,
about which American politician or bureaucrat is to blame are the
downsides to this war. With a little more perspective, the next stage
in this generational effort can take the United States to the next lev-
el: a relentless pursuit of individual terrorists and cells that threaten
the homeland and a realistic program of supporting good, bad, and
mediocre partners who can help along the way. CTC
16 CTC SENTINEL O C T O B E R 2 01 6
Unseating the Caliphate: Contrasting the
Challenges of Liberating Fallujah and Mosul
By Zana Gulmohamad
The successful liberation of Fallujah from the Islamic State
by a constellation of Iraqi forces in June provides pointers
for the more challenging mission of liberating the much
larger city of Mosul. Relatively effective coordination of
Iraqi forces, coalition airpower, and vital intelligence from
Sunni tribes and townspeople led to the Islamic State be-
ing driven out more quickly than expected, despite the fact
that an unauthorized incursion by Shi`a militias risked
compromising the offensive, as well as attempts to secure
and rebuild the town. Mosul will be harder to take because
Islamic State fighters are less likely to flee in large num-
bers. It may be possible to make significant progress in the
coming weeks because of weakening Islamic State capa-
bilities and morale and the emergence of resistance forces
in the city providing key intelligence, as well as successful
cooperation so far between Baghdad and Erbil. But the
large number of rival Iraqi actors and regional powers—
particularly Iran and Turkey—jockeying for position in
Mosul means that unless their conflicting agendas can be
resolved, any victory in securing the city could be fleeting.
T
he offensive to liberate Mosul, which began in the early
hours of October 17, is far more delicate and challeng-
ing than that of any previous Islamic State-held cities
because of its size and because Nineveh province—of
which Mosul is the capital—consists of the most di-
verse and ancient ethnic and religious communities in Iraq. More-
over, a dug-in Islamic State looks set to fight to the death there
unlike in Fallujah where over 1,000 fighters and members retreated
from the town. Making it even more contentious, the geopolitical
significance of Mosul has created competition between the federal
government, pro-Iranian Shi`a militias, the Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG), Iraqi Arab Sunni factions, and regional pow-
ers to carve out future influence in the city.
This article draws on interviews1 with key Iraqi political and mil-
itary players, including in Anbar and Nineveh, to outline and assess
the operation that recaptured Fallujah in June and to compare and
Zana Gulmohamad is a Ph.D. candidate in the Politics De-
partment of Politics at the University of Sheffield in the United
Kingdom, where he focuses on Iraqi security and foreign relations.
He was previously a senior security analyst for the Kurdistan
Regional Government and has published articles in a variety of
outlets including Jamestown Foundation’s Terrorism Monitor.
Follow @ZanaGul1
contrast the challenges faced there with those of the just launched
Mosul offensive. It analyses the constellation of forces set to march
on the northern Iraqi city, the Islamic State’s ability to defend the
city, and the political and military dynamics that will determine the
ultimate success and failure of the war in Iraq against the Islamic
State.
Part 1: The Fallujah Operation
Why Fallujah Was First
Fallujah, 37 miles west of Baghdad, is the second-largest city in
Anbar governorate and was the second most symbolic territorial
prize in Iraq for the Islamic State.2 The Iraqi government’s deci-
sion to liberate Fallujah first, despite U.S. pressure3 to drive north-
ward to Mosul first, was primarily to protect Baghdad from attacks
launched from the area. “We used to call Fallujah Iraq’s Kandahar
as it was Daesh’s stronghold,”4 Ghazi al-Kaoud,5 the Sunni chairman
of the Committee of Tribes in the Iraqi Council of Representatives
(ICR), told the author.
There were also political imperatives. Shi`a political factions,
led by the Iraqi National Alliance and Shi`a militias’ leaders, pres-
sured Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to pursue Fallujah’s lib-
eration before Mosul’s in order to retaliate against attacks on their
fellow Shi`a in Baghdad.6 Amidst power struggles in Baghdad and
criticism of the government, the Fallujah operation also provided
al-Abadi with an opportunity to turn the fight against the Islamic
State into a unifying issue.7
Competing Agendas
Initially, the Iraqi government and the Shi`a Popular Mobilization
Forces (PMF) “al-Hashd al-Sha’abi”8 leaders sought to take the lead
on Fallujah.9 But after U.S. pressure, a compromise was reached.
The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) would lead the operation inside the
city while the Shi`a-dominated PMF militias would surround and
isolate Fallujah and support the ISF from the outskirts. Al-Abadi
appointed Lieutenant General Abdul-Wahab al-Sa’adi, a key com-
mander in the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), to lead the
effort. Al-Sa’adi was disliked by the PMF militias due to previous
tensions in operations in Ramadi and Tikrit, particularly between
himself and Hadi al-Amiri (the leader of the Badr Organization, the
largest Shi`a militia in Iraq).10 Moreover, in 2008 the CTS and Jaish
al-Mahdi (Sadrist militia) and its offshoots had fought.11 Therefore,
fissures in the military command surfaced. While they did not result
in confrontation, various factions, particularly the Shi`a militias,
did not completely adhere to the plan, which complicated the task
of taking back Fallujah.
Participating Forces
The ground forces deployed to take back Fallujah—more than
30,000—involved three major loosely allied groups:12 one, the

Shi`a-dominated Iraqi Army (Defense Ministry),13 the Shi`a-domi-
nated Interior Ministry’s forces,14 and the much less sectarian CTS;15
two, the PMF’s majority Shi`a militias including some local Sunni
volunteers;16 and three, 6,000 Sunni tribesmen from Anbar belong-
ing to a variety of al-Hashd al-`Asha’iri al-Anbari al-Sunni group-
ings.17 All of these forces were officially under the authority of the
Joint Operation Command (JOC) and the Fallujah Liberation Op-
erations Command, which was closely observed by al-Abadi.18 The
local Sunni tribes and local police forces were supposed to control
Fallujah after its liberation.19
Islamic State Defenses
The total number of Islamic State fighters in Fallujah according to
al-Sa’adi were around 3,500,20 with foreign Islamic State fighters
(non-Iraqis) given key combatant roles.21 Al-Sa’adi and the Iraqi
researcher Hisham al-Hashimi estimate around 85 percent of the
group’s fighters in the town were Iraqis and 15 percent foreign fight-
ers.22
The group put up defenses by building barricades, trenches, and
around four miles of secret tunnel networks; prepared improvised
explosive devices; booby trapped vehicles; and used heavy and small
arms.23 Tunnels were also a feature of the group’s defenses in Ra-
madi, Tikrit, Sinjar, and Manjib in Syria, and are expected to play
a significant role in the group’s attempts to defend Mosul. In Fallu-
jah, the tunnels were designed to help fighters encircle and ambush
anti-Islamic State forces; avoid airstrikes; connect three frontlines,
and deploy snipers, weaponry and logistic transportation around
Fallujah; and to be used as escape passages.24
Retaking Fallujah
The military operation consisted of two phases.25 First, in January
and February 2016, Iraqi forces conducted a shaping or isolating
campaign to encircle Fallujah in order to cut the Islamic State’s
supply lines.26 It was led by the PMF and supported by the ISF and
local Sunni tribes.27 These forces encircled and took control of three
major areas around Fallujah: the areas to the north and northwest
Fallujah, Iraq (Rowan Technology)
O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 17
close to Saqlawiyah, the area to the east around al-Karmah, and
the area to the south around Nuaimiya.28 Despite the encirclement,
some small infiltration routes for the Islamic State remained, ac-
cording to al-Sa’adi, the operation’s top commander.29 Meanwhile,
the U.S.-led coalition and the Iraqi Air Force targeted Islamic State
positions in Fallujah.
Despite a number of tribal chiefs pledging allegiance to the Is-
lamic State in Fallujah one year before the liberation, there were
tribal members inside Fallujah who secretly assisted the ISF and
anti-Islamic State coalition by providing intelligence to target Is-
lamic State positions.30 The developments in this stage eroded the
Islamic State’s confidence and eased the next phase of operations
to take back Fallujah.
Prime Minister al-Abadi announced the second phase, “Opera-
tion Breaking Terrorism,” on May 23, 2016. As the U.S.-led coali-
tion provided air power, joint forces led by the CTS and Iraqi army
stormed the city center from the southern “Nuaimiya” front because
it is closest to the city center and there are no agriculture areas
where Islamic State fighters could hide. By this point, the PMF’s
Shi`a forces had secured the northern and western approaches to
Fallujah and remained stationed there.31 Smaller PMF units were
embedded with the ISF in the area to the south of the city.32 At
this time, the pro-Iranian Shi`a factions were still sticking to the
plan, as illustrated by the remarks in early June of al-Amiri, the
leader of the Badr Organization, when he stated, “After we isolated
Fallujah … we [the PMF] scored a great achievement encircling
Fallujah … the remaining task will be entering and liberating it,
which we [PMF] have completely left for the Iraqi armed forces,
counterterrorism forces… We [the PMF] will not participate [enter
Fallujah].”33
With Iraqi forces pouring into the town, the PMF lobbied to
also enter Fallujah and gave locals a deadline to evacuate. On June
13, some PMF forces, mainly from the Badr Organization, ignored
the injunctions from the Prime Minister’s office, entered the city,
and took up position in the southern suburbs, including Shuha-
da.34 Al-Marjiya Sistani’s, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq’s and
18 CTC SENTINEL O C T O B E R 2 01 6
Muqtada al-Sadr’s militias also entered these areas but in fewer
numbers.35
The decision by some of the PMF’s militias to act on their own
initiative rather than execute the previously agreed plan risked
jeopardizing the operation. Their entry without permission and
the subsequent abductions and arrests of townspeople and Islamic
State fighters could have created a major backlash among the town’s
Sunni population.36 Ultimately, despite the PMF’s actions, the JOC
managed to distribute responsibilities among the military compo-
nents and coordinate between the ground forces and the U.S.-led
coalition’s airpower effectively enough to drive the Islamic State out.
On June 17, the CTS reached the city center from the southern
axis after the collapse of the Islamic State’s defenses on the south-
ern flank. That day, al-Abadi prematurely announced victory, but a
few hundred Islamic State fighters halted the ISF advance and held
Fallujah’s northwestern district of al-Golan for a further week.37 On
June 26, after an intensive month of military offensives, the CTS
announced the liberation of this last district.
After months of an attritional siege, the Islamic State’s morale
had collapsed. More than 1,800 of its fighters were killed in the
final phase of Fallujah’s liberation, around half the force the Islam-
ic State originally had available to defend the city.38 According to
the Iraqi government, over 1,000 active Islamic State members in-
filtrated the group of refugees fleeing Fallujah.39 Al-Hashimi said
that Islamic State members in Fallujah could be classified in two
groups: first, military, and second, logistical, finance, and admin-
istrative members. Islamic State members who infiltrated the flee-
ing masses of overwhelmingly innocent civilians were mainly from
the second group.40 But a significant number of fighters appear to
have fled, too. As June progressed, reports streamed in of Islamic
State fighters defecting, discarding their weapons, or escaping from
Fallujah. One fleeing Islamic State convoy of hundreds of cars was
destroyed by the U.S.-led coalition and Iraqi Air Force at the end
of the month.41
The liberation of Fallujah had been less difficult than many
had feared. Intelligence from Sunni tribal fighters appears to have
helped considerably. Abboud al-Issawi, an MP and a member of
the Committee of Tribes in the ICR, told the author, “Besides the
ISF and the U.S.-led coalition’s air forces’ significant role in defeat-
ing the Islamic State in Fallujah, Hashd al-`Asha’iri had a positive
role in supporting the Iraqi Army, providing them with information
which included identifying Islamic State figures, and knowing the
land.”42
A month afterward, al-Kaoud, the Sunni tribal leader, told the
author, “Although we condemn some of Hashd al-Sha’abi’s actions
such as killing a number of innocents, bad treatment of civilians,
and the arrests of individuals … we expected that Fallujah’s libera-
tion would be with great difficulties, damage to the city, and signif-
icant civilian bloodshed. The results were to the contrary.”43
The Post-Conflict Phase
Liberating Fallujah was the easy part. According to the author’s
interviewees and al-Sa’adi, a long war of attrition is expected as
Iraqi forces continue to press against the remaining Islamic State
fighters in the region and the group’s fighters’ shift to guerilla war
and terrorist attacks.44
The PMF’s arrests and abuse of locals not only risked the mission
to clear Fallujah of the Islamic State, but angering the local popula-
tion has made it more difficult to hold and rebuild the town and its
GULMOHAMAD
surroundings. As Hamid al-Mutlaq, the deputy chair of the Com-
mittee of Defense and Security in the ICR, remarked, “Fallujah’s
liberation was not a model operation because the fate of around
700 individuals, a number of whom were killed and kidnapped by
Hashd al-Sha’abi, is unknown.”45
The risks of a backlash were mitigated by the fact most locals
were evacuated from Fallujah before and during the operation. In
recent weeks, residents have begun to return to Fallujah after their
backgrounds were checked. To date, al-Hashd al-`Asha’iri al-An-
bari, particularly the Dera’ al-Fallujah Brigade, has been deployed
in some areas of Fallujah, helping to reassure the townspeople, as
has the fact that several areas are now controlled by locally recruited
police.
However, other areas are still controlled by the Shi`a-dominated
Iraqi Army, a regiment of Iraq’s Emergency Rapid Response, and
Shi`a PMF militias.46 According to several local reports, not only
has the Badr Organization formally opened a branch west of Fallu-
jah in Abu A’lwan in al-Nasaf called the Cultural Office of the Badr
Organization, but Shi`a militias have hung Shiite flags with Shi`a
slogans such as “Ya Hussein” along the main roads of the town.
According to the same reports, this has increased locals’ concerns
about Fallujah’s identity and about the presence of these militias.47
Several challenges remain. A significant proportion of Fallujah’s
homes and infrastructure are destroyed, even if the damage is less
severe than in Ramadi and Tikrit. There is no water or electricity,
and the reconstruction process is slow. The strict screening process-
es to check the backgrounds of internally displaced person (IDPs)
and to learn whether they have ties to the Islamic State risk further
alienating locals. Those suspected of ties with the Islamic State are
not permitted to return to the city.
According to the author’s interviews,48 local Sunnis yearn for
their tribesmen to control the whole city. There is a danger that
sectarian frictions, caused by the still large numbers of non-local
and non-Sunni forces present as well as revenge attacks by those
who were hurt by the Islamic State in Fallujah, could be exploited
by the Islamic State to destabilize the security situation.
Incoherence between forces, inadequate support for local tribes-
men that was expressed to the author, lack of a genuine plan to
integrate local Sunni tribesmen into formal forces, and allowance
of the Shi`a militias’ to control districts and violate human rights
will continue to hinder the stabilization phase in Fallujah.
Despite these challenges, liberating Fallujah was successful in
reducing the security threats to the capital, and it shrunk the Islam-
ic State’s revenue streams, destroyed its regional command center,
and scaled back its movements in Anbar.49 Even as anti-Islamic
State forces were fighting small resistance pockets in Fallujah, the
Iraqi government ordered operations on new fronts south of Mosul
in preparation for its liberation.
Part 2: The Mosul Operation
The Biggest Challenge Yet
The Mosul operation is more complicated and arduous than any
other in Iraq due to several reasons. It is one of the Islamic State’s
twin capitals and the largest city under the group’s control.50 Its
demographics are significantly different to any other province in
Iraq as it contains Arab Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds, Christians, Yazidis,
Turkmen, Shabaks, Kakais, and Sabeans. Mosul has geopolitical
importance to Baghdad, Erbil, Turkey, Iran, Syria, and the Arab

Northern Iraq (Rowan Technology)
Gulf States, and their divergent political and military agendas will
complicate the retaking and rebuilding of the city.
Mosul fell to the Islamic State in June 2014 after the ISF’s rapid
meltdown. Other insurgent and terrorist groups that were holding
the city alongside the Islamic State were quickly assimilated.51 With
the Islamic State now losing ground, its leaders have recognized
it may lose much of its territory, including Mosul, but they have
made clear they will not give up fighting.52 They have had two years
to prepare defenses and will fight for Mosul, where the caliphate
was declared by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, more fiercely than other
cities because their foothold in Iraq and the caliphate’s legacy will
be lost if Mosul is retaken. The Islamic State will likely resort to
various tactics that it has employed previously in other towns. In
recent weeks, they have filled trenches with oil to be set ablaze to
lower visibility for coalition airplanes, have extended their tunnel
network, and have resorted to arming children as young as eight
years old and using them as spies.53
Despite the challenges, the constellation of ground forces seek-
ing to liberate Mosul should eventually prevail. They all share at
least the common goal of removing the Islamic State. But their
competing agendas and the lack of shared plans to stabilize Mo-
sul will make securing and rebuilding the city and preventing the
emergence of a destabilizing terrorist and guerilla campaign by the
Islamic State very difficult.
Weakening Islamic State Numbers and Morale
Iraqi sources and American officials believe a maximum of 4,500 Is-
O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 19
lamic state fighters remain in Mosul, of which more than 1,000 are
non-Iraqis.54 The significant reduction in the group’s presence in
Mosul is due to the transfer of some of its forces to Syria55 as well as
airstrikes targeting the group and its top commanders.56 Despite the
Islamic State fighters’ counter attacks on areas such as those close
to ISF positions north of Qayyara,57 the pressure exerted on the
Islamic State has led to growing frustration as evidenced by harsher
punishments for those unwilling to obey orders to stay and fight.58
While there are still a number of key commanders and caliphate
ministers operating in Mosul, some important Islamic State figures
have sold properties under their control in Mosul and moved their
families to Syria.59 There are also indications that al-Baghdadi has
replaced Iraqis occupying key security roles for the group in Mosul
with foreign fighters.60 This policy was also reportedly implemented
in Fallujah, and risks aggravating tensions between the Iraqis living
in Mosul and foreign fighters who are increasingly calling the shots.
An Emerging Resistance Movement
A fledgling resistance movement has emerged in Mosul, increas-
ingly challenging the Islamic State. Members use the letter M to
symbolize resistance “Muqawama,” and their number includes or-
ganizations known as Kataib Mosul, Kataib al-Hrar, Free Officers
Movements “Harakat Thubat al-Ahrar.”61 These secret networks
target Islamic State forces and spread liberation propaganda. They
have exposed the Islamic State’s harsh policies and actions and
produce anti-Islamic State videos. They have connections with and
provide intelligence to anti-Islamic State coalition forces.62
20 CTC SENTINEL O C T O B E R 2 01 6
Hashd al-`Asha’iri leader Ahmad al-Jarba (in keffiyeh) inspects the Lions of Nineveh force in Rabia west of Mosul on
October 10, 2016. (Photo provided to author by Ahmad al-Jarba)
The contribution of these groups will be relatively limited
compared to the extensive fighters and firepower that are rallying
around Mosul. However, small, organized local groups were in-
strumental during the offensive to liberate Qayyara, for example
targeting Islamic State fighters on the streets, and also played an
important role in Fallujah.63 Several of the Iraqi sources interviewed
for this article told the author that before, during, and after the
operation to take back Mosul, these networks are expected to as-
sist in identifying and targeting critical Islamic State locations and
elements.64 This could play a critical role in displacing the group
from the city by making offensive operations more effective and
weakening the Islamic State morale and its ability to hold ground.
Just days before the Iraqi offensive of Mosul started, the Islamic
State appears to have brutally suppressed an attempt by some of its
fighters to switch sides.65
Progress So Far
The preparatory phase of Operation “Fatah” (Conquest) was
launched in March 2016 from Makhmour, 47 miles southeast of
Mosul.66 It involved the ISF, including the Iraqi Army’s 15th divi-
sion, backed by Peshmerga forces, Hashd al-`Asha’iri, and Iraqi and
U.S.-led coalition’s air forces. It has succeeded in cutting off Mosul
from Kirkuk and Salah al-Din provinces. A significant number of
villages and areas west of Makhmour and south of Qayyara were
recaptured.67
In mid-June, while fighting was still raging in Fallujah, the sec-
GULMOHAMAD
ond phase of Operation Fatah—designed to isolate Mosul—was
launched from the south of Mosul by Defense and Interior min-
istries’ forces, CTS, and Hashd al-`Asha’iri, which consists of local
Arab Sunni tribes.68 Iraqi forces successfully crossed the Tigris be-
tween Makhmour in the east and Qayyara in the west to retake the
latter.69 Advancing north, they have retaken a number of towns and
villages south of Mosul from the axis stretching from Baiji along the
Mosul-Baghdad road to Qayyara, then on to Hammam al-Alil and
toward Mosul.70
In military terms, the operation’s sequence can be called a lily-
pad strategy. The capture of Qayyara was particularly significant as
it was the center of the Islamic State’s Wilayat Dijlah, a defensive
line in its own right guarding the approach to Mosul, a major pe-
troleum revenue source, and a logistical hub connecting the south
of Mosul with Hawijah and al-Shirqat.71 Qayyara and its airbase,
approximately 39 miles south of Mosul, has become a major stra-
tegic and military base of operations for the Mosul offensive with
a significant number of U.S. forces now stationed there in a sup-
porting role.72
Despite their assertions, the Shi`a militias did not play a role
in the shaping operation in Nineveh nor in the liberation of Qay-
yara.73 Their lack of presence in the staging areas around Qayyara
for the Mosul offensive will likely limit their influence on the initial
phases of the Mosul operation. Over time, this is likely to change as
the PMF have a presence in al-Shirqat, intend to retake Hawijah,
and are likely to move toward the west of Mosul and possibly to the

Nineveh plains or even to Mosul city as they did in Fallujah.74
The initiation of the offensive to take back Mosul followed the
completion of shaping operations and operations to isolate the
city.75 According to Hamid al-Sabawi, a Hashd al-`Asha’iri com-
mander, and open sources, the final offensive on the city itself is
expected to launch from multiple directions.76
The ISF will enter Mosul from the south and southwest. Ac-
cording to al-Sabawi as well as Kurdish officials, the Peshmerga,
who control most other axes (north, northwest, east northeast,
southeast), will have a closely supportive role and will pave the way
for the ISF but will not enter the city.77 Iraqi sources believe pro-Is-
lamic State fighters in the east of Mosul will put up a less furious
fight than the west and southwest of Mosul and will likely fall more
easily.78 Some sources say an escape route for the Islamic State will
be left for its fighters on the western side of the city, an attempt to
shorten the duration of fighting and the harm inflicted on civilians.
Once outside the city, the source say these fighters would be easier
to target from the air.79
According to senior Iraqi figures interviewed by the author and
some media reports, the offensive will consist of two phases. The
first phase, launched in the early hours (local time) on October 17
with coalition air support, is completing the encirclement of Mosul,
taking control of most of the city’s outskirts and preparing to access
the city. The second phase will involve entering the city from mul-
tiple directions after heavy airstrikes from the U.S.-led coalition.80
In the opening phase of the offensive ISF and Peshmerga forces
liberated a number of villages to the east of Mosul, while the ISF
engaged in clashes with the Islamic State from the southern and
southeastern axes backed by U.S. artillery and French artillery in
Qayyara and Makhmour.81 Kurdish officials were pleased with the
initial pace of progress82 and expected it would take more than a
week for the constellation of Iraqi forces to reach Mosul’s suburbs.83
Participating Forces
According to Iraqi sources, the constellation of Iraqi forces involved
in the liberation of Mosul, including those carrying out the offen-
sive, in supportive roles, and holding ground post-liberation will be
between 80,000 and 100,00084 and can be classified into six major
groups.85 Currently around 45,000 of these—mainly the Iraqi Army,
CTS, and Peshmerga—are moving toward the city limits of Mosul.86
First is the federal government’s forces including the Defense
and Interior ministries’ armed forces,87 CTS, military intelligence,
and the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS).88 Government
forces have liberated swathes of Nineveh’s southern territories and
are spearheading the operation to liberate Mosul from the southern
and southwestern axes.89 A fragile understanding and compromise
between the KRG and Baghdad was established in late Septem-
ber after President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani
visited Baghdad. The agreement has paved the way for Iraqi forc-
es to use the Kurdish-controlled areas around Mosul to conduct a
multi-directional offensive.90 The ISF were expected to attack from
the south and southwestern areas that they control and were also
expected to attack from areas controlled by the Peshmerga from
Nineveh Plain northeast, including Bashiqa and Hamdniya, as well
as Khazr east of Mosul, Gwer southeast, and Zumar northwest of
Mosul.91 The early phase of operation to liberate Mosul followed this
plan. On October 17 the ISF liberated a number of villages south
east of Mosul and launched an offensive with the Peshmerga along
the Khazr axis.92
O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 21
The second group is the Hashd al-`Asha’iri, a Sunni militia force
under the nominal control of Falah al-Fayad, head of the National
Security Agency.93 Hashd al-`Asha’iri in Nineveh governorate can
count on 15,000 fighters from Mosul tribes trained by the United
States, including the Shammar, al-Sabawi, al-Lihab, and al-Jubour
tribes, to hold ground after the liberation.94 Around 6,000 tribes-
men are ready to engage in the Mosul operation.95
Third is the “Hashd al-Watani,” (now renamed Haras Nineveh),96
which consists of a number of local Arab Sunni tribes who are led by
Atheel al-Nujaifi and backed and funded by Turkey.97 They are allied
with the KDP’s Peshmerga and based in Bashiqa 12 miles north-
east of Mosul. There has been much diplomatic wrangling between
Baghdad and Ankara on their role, with Baghdad nervous about a
militia they view as defending Turkey’s interests participating in the
operation.98 Nevertheless, as the Mosul offensive looms closer, the
Iraqi government has grudgingly accepted Hashd al-Watani as part
of the liberating forces.99 There is close coordination between the
KRG’s Peshmerga and Hashd al-Watani, and the former will likely
pave the way for the latter to enter the city, though the role of the
Hashd al-Watani remains unclear and is expected to be limited by
the federal government because of its close ties to Turkey.100 In an
agreement brokered just before the start of the Mosul offensive, a
fraction of their forces (around 1500 fighters) have been allowed by
the federal government to participate in the operation.101
Fourth is the PMF, a largely Shi`a constellation of militias that
are also nominally under the control of the National Security Agen-
cy. It is not yet clear what role the PMF will play, though, as noted,
its absence in Qayyara means these militias are unlikely to play a
significant role in the initial parts of the operation. Some of the
militias have announced they intend to enter the city, and while
al-Abadi has accepted that they should play some role in the liber-
ation of Mosul, this has yet to be clarified.102 The PMF is set to take
up position south of Mosul, and it is expected a number will head
toward Tal Afar west of Mosul as there are considerable numbers
of Shi`a Turkmen inhabitants there.103
According to leaked plans disclosed by the BBC, Shi`a militias
are set to be deployed in the areas and roads south of Qayyara and
west of Mosul, but they will not enter the city.104 However, their ad-
herence to this plan is very doubtful. Many Sunni political factions
and the KRG are unhappy with the idea of the largely Shi`a PMF
entering Mosul or even Nineveh governorate,105 especially because
Baghdad was not able to constrain PMF forces from carrying out
abuses in Fallujah. Al-Issawi and Zebari told the author there is a
danger of revenge killings during the liberation of Mosul.106 Armed
“microminority groups” affiliated with Shi`a militias107 are also ex-
pected to head east toward “Sahal Nineveh” (Nineveh plains).
Fifth is the estimated 40,000 to 50,000 Kurdish Peshmerga
forces108 that surround Mosul in a crescent formation. They are in
control of areas north, east, and northwest of Mosul,109 including
the main roads leading into the city from these areas.110 During the
past few months at some locations, they were just five miles north
of Mosul’s outskirts, and they are now driving toward the city from
the east and northeast.111 In August, Kurdish forces advanced from
the southeast and recaptured more than 10 villages as well as Gwer
Bridge, 29 miles from Mosul.112
The cooperation thus far between Kurdish and Iraqi forces has
surprised pessimists. At a press conference on October 17, President
Barzani praised the unprecedented coordination and cooperation
between Baghdad and Erbil’s forces. “This is the first time the Pesh-
22 CTC SENTINEL O C T O B E R 2 01 6
merga and Iraqi forces have coordinated to fight an enemy in one
place.”113 As the Peshmerga are playing a supportive role, it is ex-
pected that in the final offensive, a fraction of the aforementioned
number will take up position close to the outskirts of Mosul. It is
possible that at the local, tactical level, they will be asked to assist
if the ISF runs into difficulties in the city, even though there is no
political agreement on this.
The sixth category consists of “microminority” armed groups
including Christians,114 Yazidis,115 Shabaks,116 Kakais,117 and Turk-
men118 that are affiliated with and supported by the federal gov-
ernment, the PMF, and the KRG and its Kurdish parties. Turkey
is backing some Turkmen.119 All the microminority groups intend
to engage in Nineveh plains. For example, the PMF’s and KRG’s
Christian militias as well as their Shabak armed units intend to go
to the Nineveh Plains because that is where they lived before the
Islamic State takeover of the region. Meanwhile, the KRG, Bagh-
dad, the PMF and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and Peo-
ple’s Protection Units (YPG) have focused on arming and setting up
Yazidi militias affiliated with them in Sinjar.120 Some of the KRG’s
microminority armed units (Christian and Kakai) and Peshmerga
will close in on Mosul from the northeast (Nineveh Plains) and have
already started to bombard it by artillery.121
Divisions
The large number of rival Iraqi actors jockeying for position in Mo-
sul means that unless their conflicting agendas can be resolved, any
victory in securing the city could be fleeting. The proliferation of
armed groups is symptomatic of fragmentation of communities and
the divisions between Iraqi and Kurdish political factions.
Various key players told the author the plan, as agreed, is that
the Hashd al-Sha’abi and Peshmerga forces will not enter Mosul
itself. However, many of those interviewed by the author remain
skeptical this agreement will hold fully. The eastern and northeast-
ern districts of Hai al-Tahreer, Hai al-Qahira, and Hai al-Arabi in
Mosul are inhabited by Kurds and the Peshmerga want to reclaim
and protect them.122 And Hashd al-Sha’abi officials have said that
if Peshmerga enter then they will enter too.123
While there appears to be an initial understanding between
Baghdad and Erbil that both will play complementary roles in the
liberation of Mosul, there is little sign the parties have agreed on
how this will work in the long term,124 which may lead to significant
problems in the future because of their very divergent aims. Inevi-
tably, there will be tensions when various anti-Islamic State forces
with competing ambitions control the same areas, such as Nineveh
Plains, Sinjar, and Tal Afar.125 Further challenges are created by the
conflicting agendas of regional powers, especially126 (through its
proxies) and Turkey, given the possibility that Turkish troops may
engage without Baghdad’s consent.127
There is a “race to Berlin” aspect when it comes to the drive to
recapture Mosul and the Islamic State-controlled areas around it
because the involved actors all recognize that whomever controls
Mosul will have a great say in the future of Nineveh and Iraq. But
despite various proposals,128 no consensus has emerged on how this
province will be administered in the future, suggesting fractures
will emerge as soon as Mosul is liberated. In September, President
Barzani said that there is not yet agreement on the future of Mo-
sul.129 Currently, the Iraqi government is not keen to divide Mosul
into more than one province. There are differences between and
reservations among some political blocs on the question of dividing
GULMOHAMAD
Mosul, and if no consensus is reached, it could be an insurmount-
able challenge to stabilizing the province.
Conclusion
The operation to liberate and secure Mosul will be significantly
more challenging than Fallujah. A significant number of Islamic
State members and fighters fled the fighting there, but that is un-
likely to be repeated in Mosul. While there is evidence some leaders
and fighters have relocated to Syria, the Islamic State is likely to put
up fierce and sustained resistance so as not to lose a city that is key
to its caliphate pretensions.
Despite this, the constellation of ground forces seeking to liber-
ate Mosul should eventually prevail. They all share at least the com-
mon goal of removing the Islamic State and may feel incentivized
to participate because of a “to the winner go the spoils” dynamic.
But the battlefield is much more crowded and complex around
Mosul than the other towns so far liberated. While pro-Iranian
Shi`a militias were not interested in controlling Fallujah in the long
term, as it is majority Arab Sunni in Nineveh, they are interested
in Tal Afar, which was majority Shi`a Turkmen before it was tak-
en over by the Islamic State two years ago, and the micro-minori-
ty areas east of Mosul. While there was no competition between
the federal government and the KRG over control of Fallujah, the
two groups have divergent interests when it comes to the future of
Nineveh. Moreover, Turkey and other regional powers have a much
greater stake in the future of Mosul, which could complicate the
task of securing the city.
The Hashd al-`Asha’iri commanders al-Jarba and al-Sabawi
told the author that there is the potential for clashes between the
liberating armed factions, for example between Kurdish Peshmerga
and the Hashd al-Sha’abi when their forces come into proximity to
each other. The operation in the city of Mosul, including liberating
Tal Afar, will be more challenging than reaching and liberating the
areas around it.130 Only political compromise between their leaders
and agreement to operate in separate areas can reduce the chance of
confrontation. Although there was unprecedented military coordi-
nation between Baghdad and Erbil in the early phases of liberation
of Mosul, there is still no clear plan for Mosul’s future.
Although Fallujah is far less complicated politically and is an
Arab Sunni city, lessons can be learned from its liberation. The
entry of Hashd al-Sha’abi into the town without permission jeop-
ardized the entire operation and complicated efforts to stabilize
the town. Baghdad should therefore prevent Hashd al-Sha’abi or
other de facto groups from exploiting the battle in Mosul for polit-
ical rhetoric and gains. It will be easier to minimize sectarian ten-
sions and thus secure the city if Arabs, Kurds, Christians, Yazidis,
Turkmen, Shabak, and others who take control of areas in Mosul
and the area around it are placed under the control of the federal
government and the KRG instead of Hashd al-Sha’abi or the In-
terior Ministry’s almost entirely Shi`a emergency response forces.
The Shi`a-dominated ISF will also need to show sensitivity to the
majority Sunni local population. To a large degree, the security of
Mosul will depend on a comprehensive political agreement between
Baghdad and Erbil.
Another lesson from Fallujah is that Iraqi forces should do ev-
erything they can to build bridges with local Sunnis to gain vital
intelligence and to encourage an uprising from within. The opera-
tions in Anbar including Ramadi and Fallujah demonstrated that
empowering local communities is key to providing long-term stabil-

ity. Every care should be taken not to repeat the ISF’s sectarian and
abusive behavior during the decade after the overthrow of Saddam
Hussein, which created significant resentment among locals.131 It
is critical to build trust between the ISF and the locals in order to
have a constructive outcome for the stabilization phase. Given the
ISF is over 75 percent Shi`a and the proportion of Sunnis in Mo-
sul has risen to 85-90 percent because many non-Sunni Moslawis
fled Islamic State oppression, this will be ever more challenging.132
After liberation, safeguarding the return of minority IDPs to their
original lands will be essential to restore the natural mosaic of Mo-
sul, but this is a difficult task as distrust between the communities
runs deep.
Mosul’s humanitarian prospects are the worst in Iraq’s histo-
ry. The Iraqi government and international organizations are not
Substantive Notes and Citations
1 During the summer and fall of 2016, the author interviewed Dr. Khasraw
Gul Mohammed, the head of Asayish (internal security) in the Kurdistan
Region of Iraq; Abdul Bari Zebari, chairman of Iraq’s Foreign Relations
Committee; Ghazi al-Kaoud, chairman of the Tribes Committee; Hamid
al-Mutlaq, the deputy chairman of the Committee of Defence and
Security in Iraq’s Council of Representatives; Dr. Abboud al-Issawi, an MP
and member of the Tribes Committee and a former advisor to Nouri al-
Maliki; two senior Hashd al-`Asha’iri commanders who have participated
in liberating Islamic State-held areas and who are set to take part in the
Mosul operation, namely Hamid al-Sabawi and Ahmad al-Jarba, who is
also a member in the Tribes Committee and an MP; and Ahmad, a Kurdish
Peshmerga colonel, whose last name was withheld at his request.
2 Fallujah was partly seized by al-Qa`ida in Iraq from 2004 to 2006.
The Islamic State held it from January 2014 to July 2016. Some local
tribes in Fallujah pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, while others
are discontented with the federal government. Fallujah has been a
persistently rebellious town for the U.S.-led coalition and Iraqi Security
Forces (ISF) since 2003. There have been at least three major military
operations against jihadis by the ISF and the United States. Micheal J.
Totten, “The third battle of Fallujah,” World Affairs, June 1, 2016.
3 In May, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson Colonel Steve Warren
said, “Fallujah doesn’t really have any tactical influence on Mosul …
there is no military reason to liberate Fallujah now.” U.S. Department of
Defense, “Department of Defense Press Briefing by Colonel Warren via
teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq,” May 13, 2016; Andrew Tilghman, “No
U.S. combat advisors for Fallujah invasion,” Military Times, May 23, 2016.
4 Author interview, Ghazi al-Kaoud, Baghdad, July 2016.
5 Al-Kaoud is also the leader of the Abu Nimr tribe and a leader of Anbar’s
Hashd al-`Asha’iri Sunni militia force.
6 Patrick Martin, “Fallujah control of terrain map: prior to May 23, 2016,”
Institute for the Study of War, May 27, 2016.
7 Threats emerged from Muqtada al-Sadr’s factions against the
government, political (quota) system, and the Iraqi pro-Iranian Shi`a
militias.
8 This is an umbrella group for armed majority Shi`a militias affiliated with
political parties and Iran. See Zana Gulmohamad, “A Short Profile or Iraq’s
Shi’a Militias,” Terrorism Monitor 13:8 (2015).
9 Mustafa Habib, “Behind the Scenes: How the US, Iraqi army and militias
came to unite - then split - in Fallujah,” Niqash, May 13, 2016.
10 Mustafa Habib, “Taming the Beast: Can Iraq Ever Control its Controversial
Volunteer Militias?” Niqash, August 4, 2016.
11 David Witty, “The Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service,” Center for Middle East
Policy at the Brookings Institution, March 16, 2015.
12 Saudad Al-Salhy, “Fallujah escape: families pay $100-a-head to IS militant
– to flee his group,” Middle East Eye, June 20, 2016.
13 There is no formal percentage of the Shi`a in the Iraqi Army. However,
according to various reports, they are estimated to make up more than
75 percent. Florence Gaub, “an Unhappy marriage: Civil-Military relations
in post-Saddam,” Carnegie Europe, January 13, 2016; Ummar Ali, “Iraqi
O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 23
yet prepared for the possibility of a million fleeing refugees.133 And
there is concern that displaced young men could be recruited by
the Islamic State as it pivots back to guerilla warfare and terrorist
attacks in the hopes of making a comeback.134 Ultimately, securi-
ty can only be restored in Mosul and in other parts of Iraq via an
end to the politics of sectarianism, a devolution of powers to locals,
and the establishment of domestic and regional compromises be-
tween Iraq, Iran, and Turkey with the latter two agreeing to end
their interference once the Islamic State has been defeated. This
will require supervision from the United Nations and the U.S.-led
coalition during the stabilization phase. Without this, it is likely the
country will be further destabilized and again descend into chaos,
recreating the conditions that set the stage for the rise of the Islamic
State in first place. CTC
Army: the journey from the military of Umma to sectarian Army,” Al-
Taqreer, 2015.
14 The federal police, Anbar police, and Iraq’s Emergency Rapid Response
“Qwuat al-Rad al Sari” are part of the Shi`a-dominated Interior Ministry.
More than 70 percent of Interior Ministry forces are Shi`a, and most
have strong links to Shi`a militias including Badr. Ned Parker, “Political
struggle: Power failure in Iraq as militias outgun state,” Reuters, October
21, 2015. Currently, the Deputy Minister of Interior is running the ministry
and is aligned with the Badr Organization. It was previously run by
Muhammad al-Ghabban from the Badr Organization. The ministry’s
forces adhere to the Prime Minister’s and JOC’s orders.
15 The CTS’s elite force is known as Iraq’s Golden Division that today
number around 10,000. Highly trained by U.S. advisors, they are under
the Iraqi government’s and PM’s authority. The CTS is the most cross-
ethnic sectarian force in Iraq as it contains Arab Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds,
and minorities. The Iraqi Special Forces “Golden Brigade,” which is part
of the CTS, is headed by Fadhil al-Berwari, a Kurd with a long history in
the Peshmerga ranks. It is the only professional and sophisticated armed
forces in Iraq that was created, equipped, and intensively and closely
trained by the United States. David Witty, “The Iraqi Counter Terrorism
Service,” Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, March
16, 2015; Iraqi Special Operation Forces-iq, “Counter Terrorism Agency:
Special Operations-Golden Division,” October 10, 2016. (Isof-iq.com is its
formal website.)
16 There are three Shi`a militia blocs in the PMF that participated in
Fallujah’s liberation—pro-Iranian; pro-Sistani, closer to al-Abadi; and pro-
Muqtada and other parties such as Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq. See
Zana K. Gulmohamad, “Iraq’s Shia militias: Helping or hindering the fight
against Islamic State?” Terrorism Monitor 14:9 (2016).
17 Three groups of Sunni volunteers have been fighting in Anbar: first, a
group locally funded and organized without the federal government’s or
PMF’s involvement; second, a group equipped by the U.S.-led coalition
and Baghdad and connected to the Iraqi Army; and third, small armed
units affiliated with the PMF. Author interview, Dr. Abboud al-Issawi,
Baghdad, August 2016. Special Presidential Envoy for the Global
Coalition to Counter ISIL Brett McGurk said there were about 20,000
local tribal fighters in Anbar province working with ISF and being paid
by the government of Iraq. C-SPAN coverage of Future of Iraq event at
the United States Institute of Peace, July 19, 2016. The chairman of the
Tribes Committee told the author that “although there are other Sunni
Arab tribes that might have received support from Baghdad, my tribe in
Anbar has been self-sufficient in fighting the IS. We call our actions and
rally as Faza’a [a sudden awakening].” Author interview, Ghazi al-Kaoud,
July 2016. “Warren: Iraqi forces will enter Fallujah soon with participation
of 4000 Sunni fighters,” Iraqi News, May 26, 2016; Munaf al-Obeidi and
Heba El-Koudsy, “International Coalition halt advance of PMF towards
Fallujah,” Asharq al-Awsat, May 27, 2016.
18 “Abadi arrives in Fallujah Operations headquarters to check military
operations progress,” Iraqi News, May 23, 2016; “The PM meeting to
24 CTC SENTINEL O C T O B E R 2 01 6
supervise Fallujah operation liberation,” Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office, May
23, 2016.
19 Author interview, Ghazi al-Kaoud, Baghdad, July 2016.
20 “Interview with the commander of the Abdul Wahab al-Sa’adi,” Al-
Sumaria, June 29, 2016.
21 Mustafa Habib, “Suicide bombers + Secret Tunnels: Extremists’ tactics on
Fallujah’s frontlines,” Niqash, June 7, 2016.
22 “The debate on the Arab land: Operation liberation Fallujah,” CCTV Arabic,
July 24, 2016.
23 Terri Moon Cronk, “Fights to retake Fallujah, Manbij city from ISIL begin,”
Department of Defense News, Defense Media Activity, June 3, 2016;
Habib, “Suicide bombers + secret Tunnels: Extremists tactics on Fallujah’s
frontlines.”
24 Mustafa Habib, “Battle for Fallujah: ISIS snipers use four mile-long
tunnels to stall Iraq offensive,” Niqash, July 7, 2016.
25 PMF factions led by the Badr Organization have been operating in the
environs of Fallujah since April 2015 before the first phase. At this time,
they failed to control the terrain around Fallujah. Patrick Martin, “The
campaign for Fallujah: May 26, 2016,” Institute for the Study of War, May
27, 2016.
26 George Allison, “Iraqi forces recapture the city of Fallujah from Islamic
State,” UK Defence Journal, June 27, 2016; “Video: Iraqi army troops begin
massive operation against ISIS in Fallujah,” Al Alam, February 25, 2016.
27 Al-Sumaria.
28 “The third battle of Fallujah,” Rawabet Center for Research and Strategic
Studies, June 10, 2016.
29 Al-Sumaria.
30 Author interview, Ghazi al-Kaoud, Baghdad, July 2016; “Fallujah Tribes
protest against Daesh in several neighbourhoods,” Sky News Arabia,
February 19, 2016. These networks were smaller than those that have now
grown up in Mosul, less organized, and more spontaneous. In February
2016, months before the town’s liberation, Fallujah tribesmen attacked
Islamic State positions and killed dozens of Islamic State members,
including key figures such as the Wali of Fallujah, Wahib Abu Aber.
The tribesmen were subsequently crushed by the Islamic State. The
resistance fighters had contacts with Anbar Provincial Council members
and Hashd al-Anbari. Although cell phones were banned by the Islamic
State in Fallujah, these networks used them covertly to contact outsiders.
Al-Hurra, “Tribes in Fallujah revolt against IS,” February 20, 2016.
31 “Al-Muhandis announces the end of the second stage of the battle to
liberate Fallujah,” Al-Manar, June 5, 2016.
32 Martin, “Fallujah control of terrain map: prior to May 23, 2016.”
33 “Press TV’s full interview with Hadi al-Ameri,” Press TV, June 7, 2016.
34 Austin Bodetti, “Fallujah: the Iraq victory that could lose the war,” Daily
Beast, June 21, 2016.
35 Martin, “Fallujah control of terrain map: May 26, 2016;” Haider Majid, “A
commander of Saraya al-Salam: we don’t have a negative stance against
Fallujah liberation operation,” Al-Sumaria News, May 31, 2016; “Saraya
al-Salam control two sides of Fallujah city center,” Al-Mirbad, June 2, 2016.
36 “Iraq: Ban Abusive Militias from Mosul Operation,” Human Rights Watch,
July 31, 2016.
37 Erika Solomon, “Iraq declares battle for Fallujah is over,” Financial Times,
June 26, 2016.
38 Stephan Kalin and Ahmed Rasheed, “Iraqi commander declares defeat of
Islamic State in Fallujah,” Reuters, June 26, 2016.
39 “The debate on the Arab land: Operation liberation Fallujah,” CCTV Arabic,
July 24, 2016; Al-Sumaria.
40 Ibid.
41 Mustafa Salim and Thomas Gibbons Neff, “Iraqi US aircraft bomb convoy
of Islamic State fighters fleeing with their families,” Washington Post, June
30, 2016.
42 Author interview, Dr. Abboud al-Issawi, Baghdad, August 2016.
43 Author interview, Ghazi al-Kaoud, Baghdad, July 2016.
44 Ibid.
45 Author interview, Hamid al-Mutlaq, Baghdad, September 2016.
46 Munaf al-Ubaidi, “After liberation Al-Fallujah between the hands of
al-`Asha’iri fighters,” Asharq al-Awasat, July 12, 2016; “Anbar’s Fawch
emergency reclaim its duties in holding the ground in Fallujah,” Al-Hashd
Body of Popular Crowd, July 11, 2016.
47 Al-Rafidain Channel, “Badr officially opens a branch west of Fallujah,”
October 3, 2016; “Shia militias distribute sectarian postures in Fallujah,”
Erem News, October 2, 2016.
48 Author interview, Ghazi al-Kaoud, Baghdad, July 2016; author interview,
GULMOHAMAD
Hamid al-Mutlaq, Baghdad, September 2016.
49 Terri Moon Cronk, “Fights to retake Fallujah, Manbij city from ISIL begin,”
Department of Defense News, Defense Media Activity. June 3, 2016.
50 The Islamic State renamed Nineveh governorate “Wilayat Nineveh.”
It drew its own borders and included the following towns: Mosul, Tal
Kif, Hammam al-Alil, Qara Tabba, Ba’ashiqah and Bahzani, Al-Khidhr,
Khorasabat, Bazawiyyah, Tarjalah, and Mount Aski. “Iraq & Islamic State-
Wilayat Nineveh/ Ninawa,” Tracking Terrorism, August 2016.
51 Groups that fought alongside the Islamic State to take back Mosul,
including the Naqashbandi Army, the Jihad and Reform Front, the
Mujahdeen Army, Asaib Iraq al-Jihadiyya, and the Army of Ahmed Bin
Hanbal, soon disintegrated and were either absorbed, eliminated, or went
underground. See Zana K Gulmohamad, “Who is in control of Mosul?”
OpenDemocracy, July 7, 2014.
52 On May 21, 2016, the Islamic State’s Furqan Media published an audio
recording by Islamic State spokesperson Abu Muhamad al-Adnani
conceding it was possible the group would lose significant amounts of
territory, but vowing to fight on. “Daesh, according to its spokesperson,
mourns itself,” Al-Alam, May 26, 2016; Wladimir van Wilgenburg, “Islamic
State’s Iraq ‘Caliphate on the Brink of defeat,” Terrorism Monitor 14:15
(2016).
53 Bethan McKernan, “ISIS ‘ready and waiting’ for Mosul offensive
with booby traps, suicide bomber squadrons and network of spies,”
Independent, October 17, 2016.
54 These include Europeans, Chechens, and Arabs. Author second interview,
Hamid al-Sabawi, September 2016. Author third interview, Hamid al-
Sabawi, October 2016. In late September U.S. military officials said they
believed 3,000 to 4,500 fighters remained. “Department of Defense
Press Briefing by Colonel Dorrian via Teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq,”
September 29, 2016.
55 Author second interview, Hamid al-Sabawi, September 2016; Ben Kesling
and Gordon Lubold, “U.S. gets ready to assist offensive to retake key Iraqi
city from Islamic State,” Wall Street Journal, September 8, 2016.
56 In September, U.S. airstrikes killed 13 Islamic State leaders who were part
of the group’s military intelligence communication networks in Mosul.
“The people who replace these leadership figures have not established
their bona fides with al-Baghdadi, his inner circle, and they are often
not as seasoned as those they replace. This is especially true around
Mosul,” stated Operation Inherent Resolve Spokesman Colonel John
Dorrian. “Department of Defense Press Briefing by Colonel Dorrian via
Teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq.”
57 “Department of Defense Press Briefing by Colonel Dorrian via
Teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq,” September 29, 2016.
58 Fighters and commanders who desert or order withdrawal have been
executed. For instance, the Islamic State beheaded commanders who
withdrew their forces from Nineveh, such as Abu Qutada al-Uzbaki, the
commander of the Battalion of Uzbek. On August 20, Abu Mzmachr
al-Mhairi, an Islamic State military commander, was burned alive for
withdrawing his forces from around Qayyara. “Daesh execute the
commander of Uzbek battalion,” Al-Masdar News, August 17, 2016;
“Daesh execute Abu Mzmchar al-Mhairi,” PUK Media, August 20, 2016.
59 “Shelling then selling: In Mosul, extremists lament damage, then sell
scrap to highest bidder,” Niqash, August 18, 2016; “Baghdad asserts that
IS leaders escaping the Islamic State from Mosul,” Middle East Online,
August 1, 2016.
60 Hamid al-Sabawi told the author that al-Baghdadi replaced Islamic
State’s key security figures because they had wrongly claimed that
Qayyara would be difficult for the ISF to retake. Author interview, Hamid
al-Sabawi, September 2016; “Al-Baghdadi removes security leaders,” Al-
An TV, September 3, 2016. According to the author’s research, replacing
Iraqis with foreign fighters in the senior echelons of the Islamic State’s
security apparatus has become a pattern in Islamic State strategy.
Foreign fighters are judged more willing to fight to the death and are more
ideologically indoctrinated than locals who mainly joined for benefits
or out of fear or discontent with the Shi`a-led government. Finally, the
foreign fighters are judged by the group less likely to flee, and it is more
difficult for them to blend in with IDPs.
61 Their members are locals, including former Iraqi army elements and
university students. They rely on their personal capabilities and target
Islamic State forces using snipers, assassins, and small IEDs. “Mosul
hit Daesh from inside,” Sky News Arabia, June 1, 2016. The Free Officers
Movement includes current military and security officers and those from
Saddam’s era. “Thubat al-Ahrar killed Daesh Mufti in Mosul,” Rudaw,

November 3, 2014.
62 Some of the Katib Mosul sub-groups such as Katib al-Suqur and
Kataib al-Nabi Yunis have ties with the anti-Islamic State coalition and
Hashd al-`Asha’iri’s leaders and provide them with information. Author
interview, Hamid al-Sabawi September 2016. Most published YouTube
videos show anti-Islamic State resistance network activities such as
targeting checkpoints, committing arson, marking letters on the wall, and
distributing anti-Islamic State flyers. On August 26, 2015, Katib Mosul
“Mosul Battalions,” which consists of smaller groups such as Katibat al-
Raa’d, Katibat al-Nabi Sheet, and Kataib al-Zilzal, posted a video showing
a speech by these groups; the post-Saddam Iraqi flag; anti-Islamic
State songs and poems; and a list of their anti-Islamic State activities.
“Return… publishing first visional for Katib Mosul,” Katib Mosul, August
26, 2016.
63 “Details about the operation to retake Qayyara by the ISF,” Al Arabiya,
August 25, 2016; author interview, Hamid al-Sabawi, September 2016.
64 In addition, Atheel al-Nujaifi has stated on multiple occasions that based
on internal anti-Islamic State activity, revolution is expected. “Ex-Mosul
governor: many prefer ISIS to Shiite militia for fear of revenge and abuse,”
Rudaw, July 8, 2016; “Interview with Atheel al-Nujifi,” al-Jarida, February
29, 2016.
65 “Exclusive: Islamic State crushes rebellion plot in Mosul as army closes
in,” Reuters, October 14, 2016.
66 The long-awaited liberation of Sinjar, west of Mosul, was completed by
the Peshmerga at the end of 2015 and provided a new front for Mosul’s
liberation.
67 From March until May, a number of small towns west of Makhmour,
such as Kudila, Kharbadan, Karmadi, Mahana, and Kabruk, were slowly
recaptured, paving the way to recapture Qayyara. “The battle to retake
Mosul enters the phase of battlefield details,” Al-Arab, February 9, 2016;
“Iraq declares the first phase to retake Mosul,” BBC Arabic, March 24,
2016; “Operation of Mosul,” Al-Kulasa, March 24, 2016.
68 The Iraqi Defense Ministry announced the start of the second phase
of the operation in mid-June. “The start of the second phase of the
operation for the liberation of Mosul… Iraqi Minister will participate in
the battles,” Asharq Al-Awsat, June 15, 2016; “Supervised by the Defense
Minister, the second phase of the operation has started,” Al-Watan
Voice, June 12, 2016; Hamza Mustafa, “Operations to Liberate Mosul
Commences, Phase Two,” Asharq Al-Awsat, June 15, 2016.
69 Mohammed A. Salih, “Iraqi forces in Nineveh eye the ultimate prize:
Mosul,” Al-Monitor, July 19, 2016.
70 Muhannad Al-Ghazi, “Mapping the road to the liberation of Mosul,” Al-
Monitor, July 17, 2016.
71 Qayyara airbase was freed on July 9. In the last week of August, Qayyara
town, which is home to around 80,000 people, was liberated. The Islamic
State used Qayyara town as a rich revenue source due to its 63 oil wells,
sulfur, and old refinery, which has the capacity to produce around 16,000
barrels a day. “Iraqi forces press towards key air base south of Mosul,”
Reuters, June 29, 2016; “Iraqi army announces recapture of ISIS-held
Qayyara airbase east of Mosul,” Al-Alam, July 9, 2016; “Qayyara in the
hand of the Iraqi forces,” Al-Hurra, August 25, 2016. The oil in Qayyara is
reported to generate more than $2 million a month for the Islamic State.
During the fighting, the group lost special armed units such as Katibat
Tareq Bin Zaid, Jaish al-Khilafa, and the foreign fighter unit Jaish Dabiq.
“Interview with Hisham al-Hashimi,” Al-Hurra Iraq, August 27, 2016;
“Qayyara the last Dijla stronghold,” Rawabet Center, July 16, 2016.
72 The liberation of Qayyara was led by the CTS and forces from the Defense
and Interior Ministries and Hashd al-`Asha’iri. They attacked from three
directions: close from the oil wells in the west, from the Tigris River in
the east, and entered the governmental compound from the south. “Iraqi
Forces continue to advance to retake Qayyara,” Elaph, August 24, 2016;
author interview, Hamid al-Sabawi, September 2016. Hundreds of U.S.
troops are currently stationed at the Qayyara air base. See Ryan Brown
and Barbara Starr, “US, Iraqi troops close in on last ISIS-held city,” CNN,
September 17, 2016. U.S. assets in Qayyara airbase include U.S. Apache
attack helicopters, and it was announced High Mobility Rocket Systems
(HIMARS) were also to be deployed. Thomas Gibbons-Nef and Missy
Ryan, “US approves additional troops, artillery systems and helicopter
gunships for Iraq fight,” Washington Post, April 18, 2016; Richard Sisk,
“DoD to Send HIMARS Rocket Artillery to Turkey, Northern Iraq,” Military.
com, April 26, 2016.
73 Shi`a factions are stationed around al-Shirqat, a northern district in Salah
al-Dalah. Al-Shirqat was liberated on September 22 by the Iraqi Army and
O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 25
Hashd al-Sha’abi. “Baghdad declares the liberation of al-Shirqat from
Islamic State,” BBC Arabic, September 22, 2016.
74 “Hashd al-Sha’abi found communication centre of Daesh in al-Shirqat,”
Annabaa, September 29, 2016; “Hashd al-Watani: the participation
of Hashd al-Sha’abi in liberating al-Shirqat is concerning for the Arab
Sunnis,” Sotaliraq, September 20, 2016; author third interview, Hamid
al-Sabawi, October 2016.
75 “Security forces finish 2nd phase of operations to liberate southern
Mosul,” Iraqi News, June 21, 2016; “Abadi emphasises the completion of
the first and second phases of Mosul’s liberation,” Mehr News, August 10,
2016.
76 Author third interview with Hamid al-Sabawi, October 5, 2016.
77 Author second interview, Hamid al-Sabawi, September - October
2016. As of early October, Kurdish officials—including Jabar Yawar, the
spokesperson of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs—were still stating
their role would be as supporting forces for the ISF and that Peshmerga
fighters would be stationed in the outskirts of the city and would not
enter Mosul. “Peshmerga Official: we will not enter Mosul, only Kurdish
land,” Rudaw 24, September 24, 2016; “Sunni militia to come under
Peshmerga command for Mosul operation,” Rudaw, October 5, 2016.
78 Mosul is divided east to west by the Tigris River. It is expected that Islamic
State fighters will withdraw some of its forces to the west bank as it has
narrow streets where tanks, artillery, and heavy armor will find it difficult
to gain access and operate effectively. Many of the residents on the east
side have fled while on the west side, residents are poorer and unable to
flee. It is anticipated that the Islamic State will, therefore, use them as
human shields. Helen Cooper, Eric Schmitt, and Michael Gordon, “U.S.
set to open a climactic battle against ISIS in Mosul, Iraq,” New York Times.
October 7, 2016; “The Battle for Mosul,” Economist, October 8, 2016;
author third interview, Hamid al-Sabawi, October 2016.
79 Author interview, Hamid al-Sabawi, October 2016.
80 Author third interview, Hamid al-Sabawi, October 2016.
81 “The French artillery are participating in retaking Mosul,” Wakala Noon
al-Khabaria, September 12, 2016; “Operation to liberate Mosul from
ISIS: Prospects and problems,” South Front, October 16, 2016; Sky News
Arabia coverage, October 17, 2016.
82 “President Barzani hails historic coordination between Kurdish and Iraqi
forces,” Rudaw, October 17, 2016.
83 Author interview, senior Kurdish security official, October 2016. Khasraw
Gul Mohammed the head of Asayish (internal security) in the Kurdistan
Region of Iraq told the author, “Mosul’s liberation will be within a
reasonable time due to the great cooperation between the Peshmerga
and the ISF. However, we cannot give an exact estimate of how long it will
take to reach the outskirts or liberate Mosul as there are many forces
engaged and there are political and military complications within the
plan.” Author interview with Dr Khasraw Gul Mohammed the head of
Asayish (internal security) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, October 17,
2016.
84 Ibid.
85 The plan on paper is for the various Iraqi forces and militias involved in
the Mosul operation to be coordinated and assigned tasks by JOC in
Baghdad, headed by Lieutenant General Taleb al-Kinani; JOC in Erbil
headed by Major General Ali al-Faraji; and Nineveh Operation Command
led by General Najm al-Jubouri. The U.S.-led coalition, particularly the
Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR),
is closely involved in and a part of these command centers, which are
ultimately overseen by Prime Minister al-Abadi. Author third interview,
Hamid al-Sabawi, October 2016; “Iraqis, Kurds, coalition forces
coordination center,” United States Central Command, September 3,
2015; “Denying Daesh safe haven,” Global Coalition, January 10, 2016.
86 “Battle for Mosul: How the Military Operation will work,” Sky News,
October 17, 2016; “SitRep: Mosul Burns as Iraqi Forces Push Closer; Putin
and the Nuke Game,” Foreign Policy, October 17, 2016.
87 The Iraqi police and local tribes are set to be deployed behind or following
the Iraqi Army and the CTS in order to secure and stabilize the liberated
areas and impose order. Terri Moon Cronk, “Mosul liberation from ISIL
‘Inevitable’, Canadian General says,” U.S. Department of Defense, October
5, 2016; author third interview, Hamid al-Sabawi, October 2016.
88 Some of the Iraqi Army’s and Air Force’s more than 30,000 strong forces,
such as the 9th, 15th, and 16th divisions, will be stationed in Makhmour
and Qayyara. The CTS, headed by Lieutenant General Abdul Ghani al-
Asaadi, will lead the operation alongside the Iraqi Army as it approaches
and enters the city. The Interior Ministry includes the federal and local
26 CTC SENTINEL O C T O B E R 2 01 6
police and the Command of Nineveh Police “Qiyadat Shurtat Nineveh,”
which consists of battalions to liberate Nineveh “Afwach Tahrir Ninewa,”
and the Emergency Rapid Response Nineveh. Shallaw Mohammed,
“Leaders of Nineveh Liberation Operations,” Yalla Iraq, April 4, 2016;
author interview, Hamid al-Sabawi, September 2016.
89 Stephen Kalin, “Iraq Readies for Offensive to Rid Mosul of ISIS,” Time,
September 9, 2016.
90 Dilshad Abdullah, “Erbil: Kurdish delegation in Baghdad,” Asharq al-Awsat,
October 6, 2016; author third interview, Hamid al-Sabawi, October 2016.
91 Author third interview, Hamid al-Sabawi, October 2016.
92 “Live Updates: The battle for Mosul,” Rudaw, October 17, 2016.
93 Author interview, Hamid al-Sabawi, September 2016; “Abadi emphases
the participation of Shi`a militias in the liberation of Mosul,” Fallujah TV
Channel, September 7, 2016. Al-Fayad is the national security advisor
to Prime Minister al-Abadi and head of the National Security Agency.
He officially heads the PMF. He is a key figure in coordinating between
various Iraqi armed factions and the U.S.-led coalition.
94 Ahmad Jarba, a Hashd al-Asha’ri leader and an MP, told the author
“My forces are part of the directorate of Hashd al-`Asha’iri, which is
related to the PMF. The Lions of Nineveh will be stationed around Sinjar
and will head west to liberate a number of towns and villages and 25
kilometers from the Iraqi-Syrian border to cut Mosul off from Syria.”
Author interview, Ahmad Jarba, Baghdad, July 2016. Tim Lister and
Hamdi Alkhshali, “Stakes for Iraq’s future couldn’t be higher as Mosul
offensive looms,” CNN, October 4, 2016; “The leader of Hashd al-`Asha’iri
says we are related to Hashd al-Sha’abi and Hashd al-Watani is not legal,”
Al-Masalah, June 29, 2016; “Baghdad prepares 15000 fighters and gives
Hashd al-Watani conditions,” Shafaaq News, June 27, 2016.
95 Michael Knights, “Islamic State conflict: How will the battle of Mosul
unfold,” BBC, October 4, 2016.
96 On October 12, al-Nujaifi renamed his forces Haras Nineveh. “Al-Nujaifi
changed the name of Hashd al-Watani to Haras Nineveh,” Rudaw, October
12, 2016.
97 Hashd al-Watani was founded in 2014 by Atheel al-Nujaifi, the then-
governor of Nineveh, who leads the militia today. It has an estimated
4,000 to 6,000 fighters also based in Zilkan in Sheykhan, where Turkish
military forces are training them. Many of them receive their salary
from Turkey. Al-Nujaifi opposes the PMF’s participation in the Mosul
operation. The role of his militia is unclear as the federal government, the
PMF, and some of the Hashd al-`Asha’iri do not view Turkey-sponsored
Hashd al-Watani as a legitimate force unless it submits to Iraq’s National
Security Agency’s authority. “Report: Iraq’s al-Hashd al-Watani forces;
troublemaker for Mosul liberation?” Alwaght, June 21, 2016, Tensions
between Turkey and Baghdad had escalated after President Erdogan’s
and Prime Minister al-Abadi’s clashing statements about Turkey’s
troops in Bashiqa. On October 6, the Iraqi government and Defense
Ministry approved Hashd al-Watani’s bases in the Bashiqa area. Mewan
Dolmari, “Iraqi government approved Turkish-Bashik military base: KRG,”
Kurdistan 24, October 6, 2016; author fourth interview, Hamid al-Sabawi,
October 2016. The role of this Sunni militia is still unclear, despite the fact
that Hashd al-Watani announced that they will be under the authority
of the Peshmerga forces. “Sunni militia to come under Peshmerga
command for Mosul operation,” Rudaw, October 5, 2016. “Under ISIS fire,
Sunni military base readies for Mosul offensive,” Rudaw, March 29, 2016.
98 For example, Abdul Rahman al-Luwayzi, a Nineveh MP and Nineveh’s
deputy governor, said, “There are conditions for Hashd al-Watani’s
participation in Mosul: The withdrawal of Turkish troops or moving from
their base [to areas controlled by Baghdad].” “Preparation to liberate
Mosul,” Al-Rashid Satellite Channel, September 7, 2016.
99 Delegations of ISF have visited the Hashd al-Watani, and Hashd al-Watani
now have representatives in the JOC in Erbil. “Hashd al-Watani: we will
participate in Mosul liberation and we reject to be part of Hashd al-
Sha’abi,” Al-Quds al-Arabi, October 10, 2016.
100 Barham Arif Yassin the General Peshmerga Commander stationed in
Bashiqa Mountain said, “We will open a way for Hashd al-Watani to
go inside Mosul.” Wilson Fache, “What is Turkish army really doing in
Iraq?” Al-Monitor, September 6, 2016. Barham Arif Yassin the General
Peshmerga Commander stationed in Bashiqa Mountain said, “We will
open a way for Hashd al-Watani to go inside Mosul.” Wilson Fache, “What
is Turkish army really doing in Iraq?” Al-Monitor, September 6, 2016.
101 “Interview with Atheel al-Nujaifi, the commander of Haras Nineveh,”
Qanat al-Fallujah, October 15, 2016.
102 A number of the PMF’s militias, including Hadi al-Amiri and the rival Asaib
GULMOHAMAD
Ahl al-Haq, have announced their participation. “Asaib Ahl al-Haq: We will
participate in the battle of Mosul,” April 2016. Rai al-Youm, “Hadi al-Amiri:
Hashd al-Sha’abi will participate in the battle of Mosul,” NRT, August 31,
2016. Karim Nuri the PMF’s spokesperson said on September 10, “We
are going to take part in the battle for Mosul. We do not need the Kurds
or Peshmerga to assist us.” “Shiite militia leader advises Peshmerga to
‘protect own borders’, stay out of Mosul,” Rudaw, September 10, 2016.
Maher Chmaytelli, “Iraqi Shi’ite paramilitaries say will join offensive
to retake Mosul,” Reuters, April 7, 2016; “Sectarian rhetoric crisis in
preparation for Mosul,” Rudaw, July 30, 2016; Bill Roggio, “Sadr’s ‘Peace
Brigades’ prepares for Mosul offensive,” The Long War Journal, May 17,
2016.
103 The majority of Tal Afar’s population at the time of the Islamic State
takeover in 2014 was Shi`a Turkmen. There is concern the Sunni Turkmen
who have helped the Islamic State will be targeted. Conflicts may emerge
between the Shi`a Turkmen and the Sunni Turkmen communities, but it
is likely that one of the areas that will be liberated from the Islamic State
will be Shi`a-controlled as they were in the majority. One of Turkey’s
justifications for its presence around Mosul has been its protection of the
Sunni Turkmen there.
104 Knights, “Islamic State conflict: How will the battle of Mosul unfold.”
105 “Al-Nujaifi emphasizes the rejection of the PMF’s participation in Mosul’s
liberation,” Iraqi News Network, July 12, 2016; “Nineveh Governorate
Council reject participation of Hashd [Shi`a militias] in battle of Mosul,”
Sky News Arabia, March 1, 2016. Hamid al-Mutlaq and key tribal leaders
asserted to the author their concerns over the Shi`a militias’ human
rights violations and potential clashes with Peshmerga forces.
106 Author interview, Abdul Bari Zebari, September 2016; author interview,
Dr. Abboud al-Issawi, August 2016.
107 The expression “microminorities” refers to non-Arab, non-Sunni, and non-
Kurd communities from the region, such as Christian, Yazidi, Shabak, and
Turkmen. These communities are themselves divided. Some of their men
are fighting with Shi`a-dominated PMF factions; some are fighting with
the federal government, while others are fighting with the KRG or PKK or
YPG.
108 The Peshmerga in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq under the Ministry of
Peshmerga Affairs have two unified brigades equipped by the U.S., and
some of them plan to be part of the Mosul operation in a supporting
role for the ISF. The majority are divided between the KDP and the PUK,
known as the KDP’s 80 unit, which are mainly distributed around Mosul,
and the PUK’s 70 unit, which has a lesser presence around Mosul. Author
interview, Ahmad (last name withheld), a colonel in the unified armed
brigades, October 2016. “Jabar Yawar the spokesperson of the Peshmerga
forces reveals information about participating forces,” Rudaw, October
16, 2016. “Department of Defense Press Briefing by Colonel Dorrian via
Teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq.” The number of the Kurds in the
Iraqi army was historically around 20 percent and declined significantly
after the U.S. withdrawal in 2011 as most of them joined the Peshmerga.
Florence Gaub, “An Unhappy marriage: Civil-Military relations in post-
Saddam,” Carnegie Europe, January 13, 2016; Ummar Ali, “Iraqi Army: the
journey from the military of Umma to sectarian Army,” Al-Taqreer, 2015;
Nawzad Mahmoud, “Lawmaker: Kurds make up only 1 percent of Iraqi
Army,” Rudaw, January 17, 2016.
109 Aziz Ahmad, “No Kurd will die to restore Iraqi unity,” Atlantic, May 28,
2016; author interview, Hamid al-Sabawi, September 2016.
110 The Peshmerga do not control the south and southwest main and minor
roads. The roads the Peshmerga control are Badoush and al-Kasak
northwest of Mosul; Nawaran north of Mosul; Khazer northeast of Mosul;
and Gwer west of Mosul. The last main route is the Baghdad Mosul
road, which is controlled by the federal government. “Mosul indicates
increasing differences between Baghdad and Erbil,” Al Arabiya, August 25,
2016. Therefore, the KRG has at least five corridors, and Baghdad has far
fewer.
111 “Update: Day two offensive against ISIS liberates more villages; 35
militants killed,” Rudaw, August 15, 2016; “In two-day battle Peshmerga
capture important Gwer bridge, onwards to Mosul,” Rudaw, August
16, 2016. Hisham Arafat, “Kurdistan remains graveyard for terrorists,”
Kurdistan 24, May 3, 2016.
112 Gwer Bridge crosses the Grand Zab River that flows into the Tigris. It is a
critical point that permitted the Peshmerga to open a new front toward
Mosul. Said Hameed, “Kurdish forces launch fresh thrust to retake Mosul
from Islamic State,” Reuters, August 15, 2016. “Update: Day two offensive
against ISIS liberates more villages; 35 militants killed,” Rudaw, August

15, 2016; “In two-day battle Peshmerga capture important Gwer bridge,
onwards to Mosul,” Rudaw, August 16, 2016.
113 “President Barzani hails historic coordination between Kurdish and Iraqi
forces,” Rudaw, October 17, 2016.
114 There are three Christian groups: one, Assyrian, Chaldean, and Syriac
Christians affiliated with the Assyrian Democratic Movement backed by
Baghdad and the Nineveh Plain Protection Units (NPU) founded in 2014;
two, supported by the KRG—the Nineveh Plain Force (NPF), an Assyrian
Christian militia affiliated to Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party, and the
Dwekh Nawasha founded in 2014 by the Assyrian Patriotic Party (APP)
l; and three, created by the Shi`a militias in 2014; the Brigade of the
Spirit of God Jesus Son of Mary is part of the Imam Ali Battalion, a pro-
Iranian Iraqi Shi`a militia. The Babylon Battalion is part of the PMF. Zana
Gulmohamad, “A short profile Iraq’s Shi’a militias,” Terrorism Monitor 13:8
(2015). Christian factions envisage an autonomous region for Christians.
Adam Lucente, “Iraqi Christian militia draws foreign fighters,” Al-Monitor,
July 24, 2015. “Assyrians in Kurdistan arm themselves,” Nationalia,
January 9, 2015. The first and the second groups are expected to have a
major role in the Mosul operation.
115 Yazidis are divided into three armed groups: one, 2,000 of the Sinjar
Resistance Units (YBD) backed by the PKK and trained by the YPG and
YBD’s all-female unit, the YBJ; two, the relatively autonomous Yazidi
Protection Force funded by the Iraqi government with connections to
the PUK and the first group, as well as other Yazidi units within the PMF
such as Hashd al-Sha’abi al-Yazidi and Kataib the Fury of Malek Taus; and
three, KRG-supported units under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs such
as 13 units and a few thousand fighters of Qasim Shesho’s Peshmerga
(Yazidi Battalion). There were tensions between PKK, YPG, and its Yazidi
militias on the one side and the KRG’s Peshmerga forces in Sinjar on the
other. The Yazidi’s role in Mosul’s liberation is not clear, but at the very
least they will control and defend their bases’ areas and possibly close
in on the Islamic State on Mosul’s western flank. Saad Salloum, “Yazidi
infighting, disputes over Sinjar stall battle against Islamic State,” Al-
Monitor, August 18, 2015.
116 Shabaks mainly inhabit the Nineveh Plain and have two military units
totaling less than 2,000. One is affiliated with the KRG’s Peshmerga
and another to the PMF. Their role will focus on the Nineveh Plain. Saad
Salloum, “Division among Iraq’s Shabak minority reveals Kurdish-Arab
land rivalry,” Al-Monitor, August 16, 2015.
117 The Kakai’s armed regiments of a few hundred fighters are mainly
supported by the KRG. Saad Salloum, “Iraq’s Kakai minority joins fight
against Islamic State,” Al-Monitor, September 22, 2015.
118 Their units of a few thousand are backed by the federal government and
the PMF. Other units are trained and supported by Turkey. “Nearly 4,000
Iraqi Turkmen fighters to take part in Mosul liberation operations,” Fars
News Agency, May 10, 2015.
119 Bassem Dabbagh, “Turkish forces training Turkmen force in Iraq,” The
New Arab, April 7, 2015.
120 “Hashd al-Sha’abi al-Yazidi participate in the battle to liberate Sinjar,”
Baghdad Times, November 12, 2015. “Kataib Yazidis alongside Hashd
al-Sha’abi,” Al-Masalah, March 10, 2016; Mohammed A. Salih, “With the
Islamic State gone from Sinjar, Kurdish groups battle for control,” Al-
Monitor, December 10, 2015.
121 Knights, “Islamic State conflict: How will the battle of Mosul unfold;” “The
Army defeated Daesh attack on the frontlines,” Al-Hayat, October 4, 2016.
122 Author fourth interview, Hamid al-Sabawi, October 2016; author
interview, a Kurdish security source, October 2016.
123 Ibid.
124 On September 9, Barzani said, “Until now the forces that will participate
in Mosul’s liberation are the Iraqi Army [ISF] and Peshmerga.” “Interview
with Masoud Barzani,” France 24, September 9, 2016. “We do expect the
Peshmerga to be involved, although the details of their involvement are
still being worked out,” Operation Inherent Resolve Spokesman Colonel
John Dorrian stated in late September. “Department of Defense Press
Briefing by Colonel Dorrian via Teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq.”
125 This is acknowledged by some of the players. Ahmad Jarba, an MP, a
member of the Committee of Tribes in the ICR, and a leader of one of
Hashd al-`Asha’iri’s armed groups called The Lions of Nineveh whose
forces will be stationed in west Nineveh and around south Sinjar toward
the Iraqi Syrian border told the author, “Although our forces will not
cross with the Peshmerga and the YPG forces in Sinjar, there will be
complications when the forces get closer to each other, for example in the
Sinjar Mountains. Therefore, I think it requires international intervention
O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 27
to solve these complications.” Author interview, Ahmad Jarba, July 2016.
126 Iran is using its Shi`a militia proxies to try to secure logistic and supply
pathways from Iran to Assad regime-controlled areas in Syria through
parts of Iraq, including the area west of Mosul and south east of Sinjar.
See Martin Chulov, “Amid Syrian chaos, Iran’s game plan emerges: a path
to the Mediterranean,” Guardian, October 8, 2016 and “Information about
Iran’s plan to connect Mosul to Syria,” Al Arabiya. October 9, 2016.
127 Turkey has asserted that it will maintain its forces in Bashiqa and will
participate in the Mosul operation if the PKK or the pro-Iranian Shi`a
militia participate. PMF and Iraqi security officials such as Muhammad al-
Askari, advisor to Iraq’s Defense Ministry, have emphasized if the Turkish
forces approach Mosul, they will treat them as enemies. “Muhammad al-
Askari rejects al-Nujaifi’s statements about Mosul,” Al-Hurra Iraq, October
9, 2016. The author agrees with analysis by Michael Knights and Aaron
Stein that Turkey is unlikely to play a direct role. At the most, Turkey will
play a supportive role to the Hashd al-Watani. Paul Iddon, “What role does
Turkey seek to play in Mosul operation?” Rudaw, October 10, 2016.
128 For example, Prime Minister Abadi stated in a meeting with Nineveh’s
governor, MPs, and Provincial Council members that the government’s
policy is the decentralization of power and giving irreversible local
authority to the province. Prime Minister Dr. Haider al-Abadi’s Media
Office, “The PM Haider al-Abadi’s meeting with governor of Nineveh,
Nineveh’s MPs, Nineveh’s Provincial Council members,” July 25, 2016.
Abadi’s proposals have not been detailed or clarified. The Sunnis are
divided. Mutahiddoon (a Sunni political coalition) led by Usama al-Nujaifi,
Atheel al-Nujaifi, and a number of tribal leaders propose dividing Nineveh
into four to eight provinces based on religious and ethnic backgrounds,
creating an Arab Sunni federal region. “The Battle for Mosul pushed the
idea of regionalisation of Iraq,” Al-Arab, August 25, 2016; “Atheel al-Nujaifi
tries to divide Nineveh into four provinces and establish a Sunni region,”
Al-Etejah TV, August 24, 2016. The KRG’s leaders have relatively similar
views. However, Hamid al-Mutlaq told the author, “I would favor Mosul
staying the same … the division would result in fracturing the country and
causing conflict ... the locals can decide.” The KRG, particularly the KDP,
proposes to divide Nineveh into three provinces: Arabs in Mosul, Kurds in
Sinjar, and minorities in Nineveh Plain. The KRG proposes a referendum
for locals to choose to be part of the KRG or not. Dalshad Abdullah,
“Barzani to divide Mosul post-ISIS into three provinces,” Asharq al-Awsat,
September 7, 2016; “Barzani encourages the Christians to establish
a province in Nineveh,” Al-Hayat, July 18, 2016. Abdul Bari Zebari, the
chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the ICR, told the author,
“The Kurds’ first proposal was to divide Mosul into three provinces, west
Nineveh, east or Nineveh Plain, and the city of Mosul and its south. Now
the idea has developed to create more [than three provinces]… it became
accepted that dividing Nineveh into more than one province would be
better for providing services and locals’ participation in administration.”
Author interview, Abdul Bari Zebari, September 2016.
129 “France 24 Arabic Interview with Masoud Barzani,” France 24, September
9, 2016.
130 Some factions in the PMF have already announced they will attack
Peshmerga if they remain in areas they have liberated from the Islamic
State outside of Kurdistan. Author interview, Fared al-Ibrahimi, an Arab
Shi`a MP from southern Iraq and member of the Tribes Committee in
the ICR, August 4, 2016 [in which al-Ibrahimi said, “If the Peshmerga will
not withdraw from the liberated areas including Kirkuk we will force them
out.”]; ‘Peshmerga commander warns Shiite militias a threat to Kurds,”
Rudaw, August 9, 2016; “Kurdish commander dismisses Shiite militias
threats on Peshmerga advances,” Rudaw, September 11, 2016. One
possible flashpoint is the Sinjar region to the west of Mosul, where there
is concern about Yazidi infighting between those loyal to the KRG (KDP)
and to the PKK.
131 Michael Knights, “How to secure Mosul: lessons from 2008-2014,” The
Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 38, October 2016.
132 Ibid.
133 Only half of the United Nations’ $284 million appeal for Mosul has been
funded. Erika Solomon, “Iraqi forces in confident mood as they prepare
for Mosul battle,” Financial Times, September 13, 2016. The United States
estimates between 500,000 to 800,000 to be displaced from the Mosul
area. “Department of Defense Press Briefing by Colonel Warren via
teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq;” Andrew Tilghman, “No U.S. combat
advisors for Fallujah invasion,” Military Times, May 23, 2016.
134 Derek Flood, “The Hard March to Mosul: A Frontline Report,” CTC Sentinel
9:8 (2016).
28 CTC SENTINEL O C T O B E R 2 01 6
Revising the History of al-Qa`ida’s Original
Meeting with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
By Brian Fishman
In 2005, al-Qa`ida’s one-time security chief Saif al-`Adl
chronicled a key period in the Islamic State’s origin sto-
ry—the initial engagement between Abu Musab al-Zarqa-
wi and Usama bin Ladin in 1999. His history, which de-
scribes al-Qa`ida agreeing to help al-Zarqawi establish a
training camp near Herat without demanding al-Zarqawi
swear allegiance to bin Ladin, is a seminal text in our un-
derstanding of the Islamic State’s history. But how reli-
able is the story? Even though most analysts believe the
account was genuinely written by al-`Adl, bin Ladin was so
unhappy with its contents he called it a fraud. And newly
available jihadist documents suggest al-Qa`ida’s rationale
for supporting al-Zarqawi was more complex and more
Machiavellian than al-`Adl, or bin Ladin, ever admitted.
A
bu Musab al-Zarqawi, the godfather of the Islamic
State, arrived in Afghanistan from his home coun-
try of Jordan in late 1999. He quickly struck a deal
with al-Qa`ida to build an independent, Levant-fo-
cused jihadist camp near the western Afghan city
of Herat. Al-Zarqawi did not swear allegiance to Usama bin Ladin
for another five years, and the two men had very different visions
of jihad. But al-Qa`ida nonetheless provided critical financial, lo-
gistical, and political support for the new project. The question is
why. Why did al-Qa`ida provide such extensive assistance with so
few strings attached?
The accepted history of this period largely comes from an ac-
count attributed to al-Qa`ida’s security chief Saif al-`Adl. In a
letter to the Jordanian journalist Fuad Husayn, al-`Adl explained
that al-Zarqawi and bin Ladin clashed initially, but that he (al-`Adl)
Brian Fishman is a fellow at the Combating Terrorism Center at
West Point and formerly its director of research. He is the author of
The Master Plan: ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the Jihadi Strategy for Fi-
nal Victory (Yale University Press, 2016), from which this article
was adapted. Follow @brianfishman or www.facebook.com/isis-
masterplan. For access to the unique sources cited in this article,
visit www.isismasterplan.com/sentinel-article.
negotiated an agreement between the two factions.a According to
this version, al-Zarqawi came to appreciate (but not accept) al-Qa-
`ida’s more nuanced ideological outlook, while bin Ladin and his
eventual successor Ayman al-Zawahiri overlooked al-Zarqawi’s ex-
tremism because they wanted the Jordanian’s help in rebuilding
jihadist networks in the Levant.
Al-`Adl’s version of this history was originally published in Hu-
sayn’s seminal 2005 book Zarqawi: The Second Generation of al-
Qaeda,b and this very Jordan-centric storyline has informed most
histories of al-Zarqawi’s initial engagement with al-Qa`ida. Much
of the story holds up. But it is also deeply incomplete. Al-`Adl’s his-
tory forms the basis of public understanding of al-Zarqawi’s initial
engagement with al-Qa`ida, but it omits key issues, exaggerates
other details, and gets key facts wrong.
Perhaps most importantly, the veracity of al-`Adl’s story was ex-
plicitly rejected by none other than bin Ladin himself.
This article contextualizes al-Qa`ida’s first engagement with
al-Zarqawi and thereby reframes the Islamic State’s origin story.
First, it explains and analyzes bin Ladin’s objections to al-`Adl’s
version of history. Second, using internal al-Qa`ida correspondence
described and cited here for the first time, it contextualizes al-Qa`i-
da’s initial wariness and ultimate embrace of al-Zarqawi by describ-
ing the counterintelligence challenges the group faced at the time.c
Those investigations reveal the depth of al-Qa`ida’s rivalry with the
independent Syrian jihadist strategist Abu Musab al-Suri in 1998
and 1999 and suggest that this intra-jihadist squabble was a prima-
ry motivation driving al-Qa`ida’s initial support for al-Zarqawi. Fi-
nally, the article argues that this fuller story offers new perspective
on the more contemporary development of both the Islamic State
and its enemies in Syria and Iraq.
a Husayn showed pages of the original letter to two journalists in the wake
of publishing al-`Adl’s letter. Yassin Musharbash, “The Future of Terrorism:
What al-Qaida Really Wants,” Der Spiegel, August 12, 2005; Urs Gehriger,
“Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi: From Green Man to Guru,” Die Weltwoche, October
6, 2005. In 2015, the author found the first page of al-`Adl’s letter in a
jihadist archive and confirmed its authenticity with Husayn. It matches a
document released with Gehriger’s story in 2005 but no longer available
with the story online. However, the document originally released with
Gehriger’s story is available via archive.org’s Way Back Machine and is likely
the source of the document found by the author in the jihadist archive.
b Husayn’s book was serialized in Al-Quds Al-Arabi in 2005. For a translation
of this series of articles including al-`Adl’s account of his interactions
with al-Zarqawi, see http://atc2005.blogspot.com/2006/06/al-zarqawi-
second-generation-of-al.html.
c The documents obtained by the author and cited here for the first time
were mostly declassified within the past two years as a result of court
proceedings, and will be marked ‘NEW’ in the notes. They are available at
www.isismasterplan.com/sentinel-article.

The Trouble with al-`Adl’s History
Bin Ladin thought the document that has informed virtually ev-
ery history of al-Qa`ida’s initial engagement with al-Zarqawi was
fraudulent. “After reviewing [the history],” bin Ladin wrote, “it be-
came clear to me it was falsely attributed to our Brother Sayf Al-‘Adl
as it included an offense to our Brother Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi.”1
Al-`Adl’s history was initially published in 2005, but bin Ladin
seems to have ignored it—or not learned of it—until much later. (It
began to recirculate on jihadist web forums in 2009.)2 The docu-
ment annoyed bin Ladin so much that on September 26, 2010, he
fired off a letter to Libyan al-Qa`ida operative Atiyah abd al-Rah-
man, a key aide, with instructions for repudiating al-`Adl’s history.
Bin Ladin pointed to an inconsistency in al-`Adl’s story to prove
it was fraudulent. Al-`Adl claimed that al-Zarqawi met with bin
Ladin and al-Zawahiri in 1999 to broker a deal with al-Qa`ida. Bin
Ladin rejected that claim because “unity was not achieved between
[al-Qa`ida] and [Zawahiri’s] Jihad Group” at the time he negoti-
ated with al-Zarqawi.3 Essentially, bin Ladin argued that if al-`Adl’s
history got such a basic fact wrong, it could not have been written
by him.
The basic facts of bin Ladin’s critique are accurate. Al-Zawahiri
was not a member of al-Qa`ida when al-Zarqawi arrived in 1999;
Egyptian Islamic Jihad did not unify with al-Qa`ida until June 7,
2001, when bin Ladin and al-Zawahiri formally signed a merger
agreement.4 Bin Ladin argued that Abu Hafs al-Masri, al-Qa`ida’s
military commander in 1999, not al-Zawahiri, would have joined
him in any negotiation with al-Zarqawi. Indeed, as explained below,
Abu Hafs al-Masri did manage al-Qa`ida’s difficult engagements
with other jihadist groups in Afghanistan. But by the time al-`Adl’s
history was written and published, Abu Hafs al-Masri was dead and
al-Zawahiri had become bin Ladin’s deputy.
Bin Ladin’s case against al-`Adl’s history is not open and shut,
however. Researchers have long noted that al-Zawahiri played a
major role in al-Qa`ida long before joining the organization, to the
chagrin of some members of the group. But it is odd that bin La-
din would turn to al-Zawahiri rather than Abu Hafs al-Masri, who
was widely respected and central to al-Qai`da’s relations with other
jihadis in Afghanistan. Indeed, al-Zawahiri was not fully trusted
until he joined al-Qa`ida—bin Ladin did not inform him about the
plans for 9/11 until the two groups merged.5 Moreover, if al-Zawahi-
ri was part of the negotiation with al-Zarqawi, it is strange that bin
Ladin would remain committed to covering it up a decade later in
private correspondence with a trusted aide—and after al-Zawahiri
had actually become al-Qa`ida’s second-in-command. Either bin
Ladin’s calculation was quite complex—perhaps he did not trust
al-Rahman or was committed to undermining al-`Adl’s influence
in 2010—or al-`Adl’s history gets a fundamental fact wrong.
Bin Ladin also had a theory about how al-`Adl’s history might
have been manipulated. “Deny its attribution to Sayf and remind
them he is in jail,” bin Ladin explained to al-Rahman. “There are
individuals, as well as services belonging to countries in the area
whose mission is to defame the Mujahidin and disfigure their [im-
age].” Indeed, al-`Adl was living in an apartment confined on an
Iranian military base both when his history was originally pub-
lished and in 2010 when he remained in Iran.6
But bin Ladin did not accuse Iran specifically of fabricating
the story. He may have wanted to avoid a confrontation with Iran,
which still held many al-Qa`ida members in 2010, but he also may
have suspected other intelligence services. If so, Jordan was almost
O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 29
First page of letter from Saif al-`Adl to journalist
Fuad Husayn, obtained by author
certainly at the top of the list. Al-Qa`ida had long parried with
Jordanian intelligence services, and the Jordanian journalist Fuad
Husayn first published al-`Adl’s story.d
There is no dispute about the arrangement that al-Zarqawi
eventually reached with al-Qa`ida, but the details as we know them
were generally provided by al-`Adl. Al-Zarqawi and his allies would
undergo specialized training with al-Qa`ida; in return, al-Qa`ida
would provide financing, training, and support for al-Zarqawi’s
training camp near Herat.
The lopsided deal favored al-Zarqawi; he received critical assis-
tance but maintained his independence, all while embracing rad-
ical jihadis that complicated al-Qa`ida’s political position in Af-
ghanistan. Al-`Adl suggests that he convinced bin Ladin to accept
al-Zarqawi’s extremism in order to foster jihad in the Levant. The
broader historical record does not refute that logic, but it suggests
there was more to it than that.
For starters, the domestic context in Afghanistan likely influ-
enced the decision to place al-Zarqawi’s camp in Herat. According
to al-`Adl, Herat was chosen because of its proximity to the Iranian
border, which was useful for moving people and materiel in and out
of Afghanistan. True enough, but it was also politically convenient.
The Taliban leadership was divided over the value of Arab jihadis
in Afghanistan—especially extremists like al-Zarqawi—but the Tal-
iban governor in Herat, Mullah Jihadwal, was a strong supporter of
the Arab movements. One of the very few Taliban leaders to have
left Afghanistan for jihad, he was more aligned with radical foreign
jihadis than most of the Taliban leadership.7 Herat was not just
close to Iran; it was governed by the perfect Talib to host someone
like al-Zarqawi.
Indeed, if not for Mullah Jihadwal’s quick decision-making after
d That dynamic was first hinted at in a 2006 article by Mary Ann Weaver.
See Mary Ann Weaver, “The Short Violent Life of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,”
Atlantic, July/August 2006.
30 CTC SENTINEL O C T O B E R 2 01 6
9/11, al-Zarqawi might have been killed in Herat. After 9/11, Shi`a
tribesmen besieged some of al-Zarqawi’s followers. Al-`Adl credited
al-Zarqawi with leading a courageous counterattack and escape, but
other jihadis, and the official Taliban biography of Mullah Jihadwal,
say it was Mullah Jihadwal’s quick decision to send his nephew,
Gul Mohamed, into battle that facilitated the escape.8 Bin Ladin
critiqued al-`Adl for being disrespectful of al-Zarqawi, but in this
case he favored the young Jordanian.
After al-Zarqawi’s escape from Herat, al-`Adl’s basic storyline
is confirmed by other jihadist sources, including the story of a U.S.
attack on a jihadist meeting in Kandahar where al-Zarqawi was
almost killed.9 Al-Zarqawi eventually fled Afghanistan where he
reconnected with al-`Adl in Iran before moving on to Iraq. Al-
`Adl’s account of this period is vague and obscures discussion both
of al-Zarqawi’s route to Iran and of the jihadis’ interaction with
Iranian security services. That is a major omission—and one that
is consistent with bin Ladin’s suggestion that al-`Adl’s story was
influenced by intelligence sources.
But both al-`Adl and bin Ladin neglected to mention the coun-
terintelligence challenge that probably most influenced al-Qa`ida’s
initial engagement with al-Zarqawi.
Counterintelligence and Intra-Jihadist Conflict
Al-`Adl was al-Qa`ida’s security chief, which means he investigated
reports of subterfuge by foreign governments and other militants
trying to undermine al-Qa`ida. In 1998 and 1999, al-`Adl investi-
gated potential espionage cases involving Jordan, the United States,
the United Arab Emirates, and Iraq.10 The veracity and viability of
these threats varied, but they reinforced al-Qa`ida’s sense of siege,
which al-`Adl embodied. As one Jordanian jihadi investigated by
al-Qa`ida for being a spy lamented, “Sayf, may Allah avenge against
him, he is capable of doing many things. He knows Kabul’s director
of intelligence, knows Kandahar’s director of intelligence, and he is
very close to the Sheikh [bin Ladin] because he is loyal to him …
[Sayf ’s] word is it as far as the Sheikh is concerned.”11 Al-`Adl also
used alliances to mitigate the threats he perceived to bin Ladin and
al-Qa`ida.
In 1998, Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, the director of al-Qa`ida’s guest-
house in Kabul and coordinator of Arabs fighting with the Taliban,
grew suspicious about new Iraqis in town, so he reached out to
al-`Adl. Abd al-Hadi explained that the men were affiliated with
the Iraqi opposition leader Ahmed Chalabi, who later emerged
as a leading voice encouraging the United States to invade Iraq.12
But in November 1998, Abd al-Hadi was worried that the Chala-
bi men were impious (they would not give up smoking) and, like
many Iraqi opposition figures, had spent extensive time in Iran.
The Chalabi men seemed motivated by Arab nationalism rather
than jihadist ideology and would not acknowledge any difference
between Sunni and Shi`a Muslims. “They believe that there is no
difference between the two sects,” lamented Abd al-Hadi “and the
important thing is that they are all Arabs.”13 Al-Qa`ida kept a close
watch on the men and endeavored to keep them separate from oth-
er fighters.14
But the Iraqis were only the tip of the iceberg. Al-`Adl was also
investigating broader allegations that Jordan’s intelligence service
was working with the United Arab Emirates and the United States
to infiltrate al-Qa`ida in Afghanistan.15 The details, all unproven,
were lascivious: a Syrian recruit, presumably under physical threat,
declared to al-Qa`ida that he had been recruited via group sex in
FISHMAN
Dubai, and described alcohol, drugs, and homosexual trysts among
jihadis in Afghanistan. He named a series of jihadis, including Abu
Musab al-Suri, as threats to al-Qa`ida.16 Al-`Adl’s investigation
was not exactly professional; some of the claims read like a jihadist
conspiracy nightmare more than a real-world threat. In the end,
the accuser formally retracted his accusations, including against
Abu Musab al-Suri.17 Regardless, the investigation seems to have
concluded that gay jihadis from Dubai were not a major threat, but
Abu Musab al-Suri was.
Abu Musab al-Suri is one of the most fascinating jihadis of the
past 40 years. A Syrian veteran of the Muslim Brotherhood upris-
ing against Hafez al-Assad in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Abu
Musab al-Suri strongly supported the Taliban and collaborated off
and on with various Arab jihadist groups, including al-Qa`ida.18
In 1997, he arranged bin Ladin’s interview with CNN, but the two
men’s relationship soured after al-Qa`ida’s attack on two U.S. em-
bassies in East Africa in 1998.19 Abu Musab al-Suri worried that by
striking the United States, al-Qa`ida might provoke a counterattack
that would threaten the Taliban regime. In 1999, he and a long-
time friend and collaborator, Abu Khaled al-Suri, complained to
bin Ladin that he “had caught the disease of screens, flashes, fans
and applause.”20
Around the same time, Abu Musab al-Suri started to reposition
himself as a potential alternative to al-Qa`ida.21 He wanted to lead
the “Ansar Battalion”—the jihadist contingent fighting with the Tali-
ban north of Kabul, and he wanted recognition as the leader of new
jihadist arrivals from the Levant. Neither was acceptable to al-Qa-
`ida, but Abu Musab al-Suri had strong ties to certain elements in
the Taliban. So the threat was not easily dismissed.
The case of one Syrian jihadist volunteer exemplified the grow-
ing rivalry between Abu Musab al-Suri and al-Qa`ida. Basim Umar
al-Suri was raised in Latakia by an Alawite family, but became a
salafi in high school. Inspired by radio broadcasts from jihadis in
northern Lebanon, the 23-year-old Syrian left for Afghanistan in
early 1999.e In Kabul, he moved into an al-Qa`ida guesthouse while
attending classes at the al-Faruq training camp.f The young Syrian
took the kunya “Marwan Hadid,” presumably to honor a man of
the same name who led a militant Muslim Brotherhood uprising
against Hafez al-Assad 25 years earlier.
Abu Musab al-Suri had fought with the real Hadid, but the young
Syrian testified he had never heard of the jihadist theorist until he
stumbled on some of Abu Musab al-Suri’s writings at al-Qa`ida’s
guesthouse in Kabul. He eventually met the elder jihadi during a
training session at al-Faruq, which focused on military training and
supported numerous Arab jihadis, not just those in al-Qa`ida. “Abu
Mus`ab-al-Suri, who was in charge of organizing the security at the
camp, was sitting next to me,” explained Hadid.
And then Abu Musab al-Suri seems to have tried to recruit the
young Syrian for a more specialized camp. “I asked him about urban
e It is possible these broadcasts were made by Bassam al-Kanj, an
acquaintance of al-Zarqawi from his first trip to Afghanistan in
1989. NEW. Harmony Document AFGP-2002-800078-001-0071-
AFGP-2002-800078-001-0079, “Testimony of Marwan Hadid (Basim Umar
al-Sury),” undated.
f One of his roomates at the guesthouse was named “Abu Zubaydah,” who
was described as a Saudi. This is potentially the Abu Zubaydah currently
imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay that has been central to U.S. debates
around the use of torture.

fighting and explosive making,” Hadid went on, “and he informed
me that his camp focuses on urban fighting. He informed me that
some people believe that he is a Takfiri, however, he is not like that
but he is somewhat extremist and does not respect the scholars.”22
Al-Qa`ida’s leaders thought Abu Musab al-Suri was poaching
recruits. Years later, al-`Adl’s father-in-law, the legendary jihadist
journalist Mustafa Hamid (better known as Abu Walid al-Masri)
would recall that:
“Abu Musab al-Suri and al-Qaeda were … in heavy competition.
Abu Musab was trying to recruit people to his brigade on the Kabul
front, which al-Qaeda did not like. To reduce his influence al-Qaeda
put up flyers for its brigade in all of its guesthouses, and also banned
Abu Musab al-Suri from entering them. Abu Musab had earlier
gone into al-Qaeda’s guesthouses and recruited some youth who
were working on its front under Abdul Hadi al-Iraq. Abu Musab
al-Suri convinced them to join him instead. This made al-Qaeda
crazy.”23
Indeed, Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi was irate at the apparent effort to
recruit under his nose, and he pushed his chain of command to
respond. Abu Hafs al-Masri, al-Qa`ida’s military commander, man-
aged al-Qa`ida’s relationship with Abu Musab al-Suri and aimed
first to deescalate the situation in Kabul. A public confrontation
might compel direct Taliban intervention, which was dangerous
because Abu Musab al-Suri had strong relations with some Tali-
ban factions. So, Abu Hafs al-Masri first ordered Abd al-Hadi to
“take things in stride, do not get too upset,” and instructed him to
“completely avoid [Abu Musab al-Suri].” Worried that Abd al-Hadi
might attempt to debate the intellectual Syrian, Abu Hafs al-Masri
ordered him to “avoid back and forth dialogue.”24
Behind the scenes, however, Abu Hafs al-Masri was actively
working to undermine Abu Musab al-Suri with the Syrian’s most
trusted ally: Abu Khaled al-Suri. In the months prior to March
1999, Abu Khaled asked al-Qa`ida for help leaving Afghanistan
so that he could tend to his wife, who had grown sick. “We helped
him,” Abu Hafs al-Masri explained to Abd al-Hadi in March 1999,
and “as far as I know brother Abu-Khalid (sic) has abandoned [Abu
Musab al-Suri].”25 It was a startling statement: the two Syrians had
been brothers-in-arms for 25 years.
Abu Musab al-Suri did not want a direct confrontation with
al-Qa`ida either, but he deemed himself a peer of bin Ladin’s and
demanded a meeting with al-Qa`ida’s emir directly to smooth
things over. Abu Hafs al-Masri took the meeting instead—and re-
ported hopefully to Abd al-Hadi afterward that “the brother re-
quests coordination and cooperation, what is important is that he
is in agreement with us.”26
Abu Hafs al-Masri probably overestimated both Abu Musab
al-Suri’s alignment with al-Qa`ida and his own success undermin-
ing Abu Khaled’s allegiance to Abu Musab al-Suri. In July 1999, the
two Syrians co-signed a letter to bin Ladin urging him to respect
Mullah Omar’s leadership in Afghanistan.27 Instead of routing the
note through Abu Hafs al-Masri and the al-Qa`ida chain of com-
mand, however, they sent it via Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was not
yet a member of al-Qa`ida. Was this the moment, six months before
al-Zarqawi arrived in Afghanistan, when al-Zawahiri supplanted
Abu Hafs al-Masri as bin Ladin’s chief advisor toward other jihadis?
The answer remains unclear.
Regardless, al-Qa`ida’s support for Abu Khaled did pay off even-
tually. Fifteen years later, when Abu Hafs al-Masri was long dead
and al-Zawahiri had both joined al-Qa`ida and become its emir,
O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 31
he named Abu Khaled his personal representative in the Syrian
civil war.28
The appeal to Abu Khaled was not al-Qa`ida’s only effort to un-
dermine Abu Musab al-Suri, who was a powerful persona but did
not command a strong organization of his own. Al-`Adl wanted to
make sure things stayed that way—and that is where Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi, the young jihadi from Jordan, came in.
Al-Qa`ida had never been particularly successful recruiting
in the Levant, which created a potential opening for a Syrian like
Abu Musab al-Suri. In late 1999 and early 2000, just as al-Zarqawi
arrived in Kandahar, there was an influx of Levantine fighters to
Afghanistan. Bassam al-Kanj, an old acquaintance of al-Zarqawi’s,
had led a short-lived uprising in Syrian-occupied Lebanon. The
movement was quickly crushed and many young Syrian and Leba-
nese fighters fled to Afghanistan.
Per his history, al-`Adl thought a productive relationship with
al-Zarqawi would allow al-Qa`ida to strengthen the jihadist net-
works in the Levant. But if that was the only goal, Abu Musab
al-Suri would have been the most natural and experienced ally.
According to Mustafa Hamid, however, al-`Adl was “very much
against Abu Mus’ab al-Suri.”29 Al-Zarqawi’s arrival offered al-`Adl
a mechanism for empowering the Levantine jihadist diaspora while
simultaneously sidelining Abu Musab al-Suri. The Levantine jihad-
is might not join al-Qa`ida when they joined al-Zarqawi, but at
least they would not join Abu Musab al-Suri.
As Hamid put it, Abu Musab al-Suri had effectively challenged
al-Qa`ida, saying, “You are not alone in Afghanistan, you are not the
only option here. I am here.” In return, Hamid explained, al-Qa`i-
da, “went to [the Levant] with Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi, and said to
Abu Mus’ab al-Suri, ‘We are here [with a Levantine support base in
Afghanistan], it is not only you.’”30
This explanation helps explain why al-Qa`ida would agree to
sponsor al-Zarqawi so extensively without requiring that he swear
allegiance. It suggests that an otherwise lopsided agreement with
al-Zarqawi actually met al-Qa`ida’s proximate political needs. The
primary sources from inside al-Qa`ida at the time do not explicitly
confirm this rationale, but they emphasize the depth of the conflict
between al-Qa`ida and Abu Musab al-Suri that lends it significant
credibility.
Regardless, al-Qa`ida’s victory was limited. Al-Zarqawi re-
mained his own man. Al-`Adl implied that al-Qa`ida had leverage
over al-Zarqawi because it intervened with the Taliban to ensure
al-Zarqawi would not “face obstacles.” But al-Zarqawi was inde-
pendently named as one of six Arab interlocutors to the Taliban’s
“Arab Liaison Committee” (Abd al-Hadi and Abu Musab al-Suri
were as well), which indicates he was not bound to work through
al-Qa`ida.31 Al-Qa`ida might have helped set al-Zarqawi up, but he
established his own political network in Afghanistan.
But even al-Zarqawi’s radicalism and independent streak held a
silver lining for al-Qa`ida. The young Jordanian would not swear
allegiance to bin Ladin, but he also would not align with Abu Musab
al-Suri. At the time, that was good enough.
Eventually, however, al-Qa`ida was forced to confront the de-
mon it helped create in Afghanistan.
The Legacy of an Ill-Fated Alliance
The dispute between al-`Adl and bin Ladin over al-Qa`ida’s initial
engagement with al-Zarqawi—and the full history of that engage-
ment—suggests several lessons. First, al-`Adl’s history and bin La-
32 CTC SENTINEL O C T O B E R 2 01 6
Taliban “Arab Liaison Committee” release designating
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, and Abu
Musab al-Suri interlocutors between Arab fighters and
the Taliban
din’s critique of it are both self-serving. Writing in 2004 or 2005,
al-`Adl emphasized his own diplomatic skills; writing in 2010, bin
Ladin downplayed reports of conflict with al-Zarqawi after the Jor-
danian had emerged as a legendary figure in his own right.
Second, the Islamic State has often benefited from alliances with
militants—or states—that calculated a temporary alliance with the
group or its predecessors would be useful against some more prox-
imate threat. Neither al-`Adl nor bin Ladin mentioned the conflict
with Abu Musab al-Suri or al-Qa`ida’s more general counterintel-
ligence worries in the late 1990s. Jihadis are generally loath to air
dirty laundry. But jihadist dirty laundry has been fundamental to
the Islamic State’s development. At its core, the Zarqawiist move-
ment that became the Islamic State is a populist rebellion against
what it considers the false promises and unfulfilled commitments
of more compromising jihadist movements and more compromised
jihadist leaders. At the same time, it has benefitted over the years
from intra-jihadist competition in which one side or the other has
endeavored to instrumentalize the Zarqawiists’ radicalism. Exhibit
A is al-Qa`ida’s original engagement with al-Zarqawi.
Third, ideological and strategic agreement is insufficient to un-
derstand jihadist political alignments. Abu Musab al-Suri and bin
Ladin had different ideas about provoking the United States and
how jihadis should organize, but they had far more in common with
each other ideologically than either did with al-Zarqawi. Al-Zarqawi
considered both ideologically lax and embraced jihadist preachers
the Taliban evicted from other training camps.32 Abu Musab al-Suri
and bin Ladin competed for influence with the Taliban; al-Zarqawi
opposed Arabs fighting directly with the rulers of Afghanistan.33
The politics of this jihadist triangle cannot be understood solely
as a function of ideology, strategy, or nationality. Both Abu Musab
al-Suri and al-`Adl opposed the 9/11 attack,34 for example, but one
was in al-Qa`ida and the other was not. Despite agreement on the
most important strategic question facing jihadis in Afghanistan,
they were not allies. It illustrates that even among jihadis, person-
ality—and personal ambition—matters.
FISHMAN
Fourth, ideological extremism does not preclude compromise.
Despite al-Zarqawi’s opposition to Arabs fighting with the Tali-
ban, he accepted a relationship with al-Qa`ida (albeit on favorable
terms) and was officially appointed to the Taliban’s Arab Liaison
Committee even as he supported ideologues the Taliban disavowed.
Al-Zarqawi’s extremism has since been institutionalized in the Is-
lamic State, but that institution is also capable of pragmatism when
necessary. For Zarqawiists, necessity is the mother of ideological
compromise; likewise, ideological extremism is a justification to
stab one-time allies in the back.
Fifth, the pre-9/11 jihadist political arrangements were not per-
manent. Al-Zarqawi eventually swore allegiance to bin Ladin in
2004 but continued to define his own strategic path, much to the
frustration of his would-be superiors in al-Qa`ida.35 Meanwhile, the
rivalry between Abu Musab al-Suri and al-Qa`ida softened. After
the Taliban were overthrown, jihadist rivals rallied together and
al-Qa`ida even embraced elements of Abu Musab al-Suri’s vision
for a decentralized jihadist movement. In 2002, al-`Adl directed
9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Muhammad to “leave the mana-
gerial matters to brother Abu-Mus’ab” so that they could be further
transferred to the al-Qa`ida cadre in Iran. If that “Abu Mus’ab” was
Abu Musab al-Suri (and it seems likely), then the rapprochement
appears to have been extensive.36 In 2005, Abu Musab al-Suri and
Abu Khaled were arrested in Pakistan and eventually transferred
to Syrian custody.37 According to one account, the Syrian regime
agreed to release one of the men in 2011 and Abu Musab al-Suri
insisted it be Abu Khaled. If Abu Hafs al-Masri was correct that
Abu Khaled “abandoned” his old friend in 1999, such magnanimity
is awfully ironic.38
Abu Khaled and most likely al-Zarqawi had been part of al-Qa-
`ida’s strategy to undermine Abu Musab al-Suri in 1999, but there
was no love lost between their movements. In 2013 al-Zawahiri
named Abu Khaled his representative in Syria, charged with medi-
ating a dispute between the Zarqawiists in the Islamic State in Iraq
and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Qa`ida-affiliated fighters in Jabhat
al-Nusrah. A year later, ISIL assassinated him.
Sixth, al-`Adl is not superman. In 2015, al-`Adl was reportedly
released from confinement in Iran, raising questions about whether
he could reconcile al-Zarqawi’s descendants in the Islamic State
and al-Qa`ida, just as he had between bin Ladin and al-Zarqawi.39
But that original agreement, and the accommodation it represent-
ed between distinct ideological positions, is best understood as the
product of a particular strategic moment. Al-`Adl is unlikely to
recreate that magic.
Of course, al-`Adl is a talented, dangerous man. He is old-guard
al-Qa`ida, and in 2004, he conceptualized a startlingly prescient—
if not determinative—master plan, which called for the reestablish-
ment of the caliphate in Syria between 2013 and 2016.40 g
g Al-`Adl’s seven-stage master plan served as a strategic vision for the
al-Qa`ida organization just as it incorporated al-Zarqawi’s organization in
Iraq as a formal affiliate. The plan was not followed exactly, but it correctly
foresaw numerous developments, including al-Qa`ida in Iraq’s networks
outside Iraq, the time and place of the caliphate being re-declared, and
that the British would reject integration into a more cohesive Europe.
Despite this accuracy, the master plan failed to account for the power,
destructiveness, and exclusivity of Zarqawiism, particularly as represented
in the Islamic State. As such, its prediction of a jihadist “final victory” by
2020 will not come to pass.

Indeed, al-`Adl’s most important credential for today’s strate-
gic environment is not that he is a statesman, which is what he
emphasized in his history of al-Qa`ida’s original engagement with
al-Zarqawi. Rather, it is that al-`Adl understands how to fight dirty
against other jihadis, which is what a fuller account of those events
Citations
1 “Letter to Shaykh Mahmud,” Bin Laden’s Bookshelf-Director of National
Intelligence, September 2, 2010.
2 See, for example, Saif al-`Adl “A Jihadist Biography of Abu Mus’ab
al-Zarqawi.”
3 Ibid.
4 “Merger Agreement Between Qaidat Ansar Allah and al-Jihad Group,”
June 7, 2001.
5 Peter Bergen, “Post-Osama, Now What?” New York Magazine, August 27,
2011.
6 “Statement of Sulayman Abu Ghaith,” Federal Bureau of Investigation,
March 6, 2013. See http://kronosadvisory.com/Kronos_US_v_Sulaim-
an_Abu_Ghayth_Statement.1.pdf
7 “Mullah Jihadwal Martyr Biography,” Taliban Sources Project. This doc-
ument was archived by Anand Gopal, Felix Kuehn, and Alex Stricht van
Linschoten as part of the Taliban Sources Project. Gopal was kind enough
to provide a translation of this document to the author.
8 Abu Zubaydah Diary Notebook 6, November 3, 2001.
9 Ibid.; Abu Jihad Khalil al-Hakaymah, “Journeys of a Jihadi,” Promise Keep-
ers Website. This website is now defunct, but the author archived it in full
circa 2006.
10 NEW. Harmony Document AFGP-2002-800078-001-0124—AFGP-
2002-800078-001-0137, “Letter to Hatim,” undated-1; NEW. Harmony
Document AFGP-2002-800078-001-0319, “Testimony of ‘Abd-al-Rahim
‘Abd-al-Razzaq al-Janku,” undated-1; NEW. Harmony Document AFGP-
2002-800078-001-0335—AFGP-2002-800078-0345, “Testimony of
‘Abd-al-Rahim ‘Abd-al-Razzaq al-Janku,” undated-2.
11 NEW. Harmony Document AFGP-2002-800078-001-0124—AFGP-2002-
800078-001-0137.
12 NEW. Harmony Document AFGP-2002-003629-0002—AFGP-2002-
003629-0001, “Memo from Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi (al-Ansari) to Saif al-
`Adl,” November 8, 1998; Jane Mayer “The Manipulator,” New Yorker, June
7, 2004.
13 Ibid.
14 NEW. Harmony Document AFGP-2002-003644-0003—AFGP-2002-
003644-0004, “Memo from Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi (al-Ansari) to Saif al-
`Adl,” November 17, 1998.
15 NEW. Harmony Document AFGP-2002-800078-001-0124—AFGP-2002-
800078-001-0137.
16 NEW. Harmony Document AFGP-2002-800078-001-0319.
17 For retraction, see NEW. Harmony Document AFGP-2002-800078-001-
0017.
18 Brynjar Lia, Architect of Global Jihad (Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University
Press, 2009).
19 Peter Bergen, The Osama bin Laden I Know (New York: Free Press, 2006)
pp. 185-186.
O C T O B E R 2 01 6 CTC SENTINEL 33
highlights. That is important for thinking about al-`Adl’s potential
contemporary influence. If he is again driving al-Qa`ida strategy,
he is battling an enemy in the Islamic State far more powerful than
Abu Musab al-Suri ever was—and one that he empowered, for rea-
sons more Machiavellian than he acknowledged, long ago. CTC
20 See Peter Bergen, Holy War Inc.: Inside the Secret World of al-Qaeda (New
York: Free Press, 2002), p.5; Alan Cullison, “Inside al-Qaeda’s Hard Drive,”
Atlantic, September 2004; and Lia, pp. 32, 123, 165-170.
21 Mustafa Hamid and Leah Farrall, The Arabs at War in Afghanistan (Lon-
don: Hurst Publishers, 2015), p. 274.
22 NEW. Harmony Document AFGP-2002-800078-001-0499—AFGP-2002-
800078-001-0503, “Testimony of Marwan Hadid (Basim Umar al-Sury),”
September 19, 1999.
23 Hamid and Farrall, p. 274.
24 NEW. Harmony Document AFGP-2002-000006-0003, “Ahmed Abd
‘al-‘Aziz (Abu Hafs al-Masri) Letter to Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi,” March 24-25,
1999.
25 Ibid.
26 NEW. Harmony Document AFGP-2002-000006, “Ahmed Abd ‘al-‘Aziz
(Abu Hafs al-Masri) letter to Abd al-Hadi al-Iraq,” April 12-13, 1999.
27 Abu Mosab al-Suri and Abu Khalid al-Suri Letter to Usama bin Ladin via
Ayman al-Zawahiri, July 19, 1999, excerpted in Cullison.
28 Ayman al-Zawahiri, “Letter to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Husayni and Abu
Muhammad al-Jawlani,” Al-Fajr Media Center, May 23, 2013.
29 Hamid and Farrall, p. 257.
30 Hamid and Farrall, p. 258.
31 Harmony Document AFGP-2002-0001000-0003, “Arab Liaison Commit-
tee of the Islamic Emirate.”
32 Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, “Clarification on the Issues Raised by Sheikh
al-Maqdisi in the Interview with Al Jazeera,” Jihadist websites, July 12,
2005.
33 Weaver.
34 See Paul Cruickshank and Mohanad Hage Ali, “Abu Musab Al Suri: Archi-
tect of the New Al Qaeda,” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 30:1 (2007): pp.
1-14; “‘Abd al-Halim (Sayf) Adl Letter to Mukhtar (Khalid Sheikh Muham-
mad),” June 13, 2002, Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.
35 “Al-Zarqawi Bay’ah to Usama bin Ladin,” October 17, 2004, reprinted
in Mu’askar al-Battar Issue 21, December 2004. Available in “Zarqawi’s
Pledge of Allegiance to al-Qaeda: from Mu’asker al-Battar, Issue 21,”
Jamestown Terrorism Monitor (2:24).
36 ‘Abd al-Halim (Sayf) Adl Letter to Mukhtar (Khalid Sheikh Muhammad),
June 13, 2002.
37 Aron Lund, “Who and What was Abu Khalid al-Suri Part One,” Carnegie
Middle East Center, February 24, 2014.
38 Charles Lister, The Syrian Jihad: al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and the Evolu-
tion of an Insurgency (London: C. Hurst and Co., 2015), pp. 108-109.
39 Rukmini Callimachi and Eric Schmitt, “Iran Released Top Members of
al-Qaeda in a Trade,” New York Times, September 17, 2015.
40 Brian Fishman, The Master Plan: ISIS, al-Qaeda and the Jihadi Strategy for
Final Victory (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016 forthcoming).